Eric Slivka:
The negotiations are reportedly seeing Apple joining forces with its courtroom foes Samsung and HTC, as well as smartphone platform rival Google, in an effort to obtain the patents for a price well below that sought by Kodak.
I don’t understand why Apple wouldn’t just buy them — they have the money. Unless they are worried about having too much control.
Dan Graziano:
Over the three-month period, the company found more than 14,900 new malicious programs targeting the platform. Nearly half of the malicious files were classified as multi-functional Trojans that were programmed to steal data from smartphones and could also download and install programs from remote servers.
There is a much better alternative you know.
Thanks to TextExpander and Smile for sponsoring The Loop this week.
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Dermot Daly:
When the dust settles, if the experience of using twitter affects the benefits of using it I’ll stop using it. If it doesn’t, I won’t.
Yeah.
Apple aims to make it so viewers can watch any show at any time via a cloud-based DVR that would store TV shows online. The service would be designed so viewers could begin streaming a show minutes after it began airing live.
Where do I pay?
Gruber summed up my feelings nicely, including pointing out that its own app started out as a third-party client.
Alex Arena:
I settled on the Sony Xperia Pro, with the knowledge that if I didn’t like it, I’d only have to wait a few months for the new iPhone.So far the experience has been terrible; I’ll be in line, come September.
Hypervocal:
“My colleague has a dirty keyboard and has gone to vacation,” writes this Redditor. “I did the only logic[al] thing: I planted cress in his keyboard.”
The included GIF is a bit misleading. You have to go to the full album to see the prankster “cheated” a little bit – he put dirt in the keyboard and watered the garden cress seeds so of course it was going to sprout. Still – you’d like to see the look on the co-worker’s face when he comes back from vacation!
Judge Lucy Koh:
“I mean come on. 75 pages! 75 pages! You want me to do an order on 75 pages, (and) unless you’re smoking crack, you know these witnesses aren’t going to be called when you have less than four hours,” Koh said.“Your honor, I can assure you, I’m not smoking crack,” Lee replied matter-of-factly.
I like this judge. That’s brilliant.
One of the smartest decisions that Apple made over the last decade was to open retail stores worldwide, giving users a chance to get some hands on time with its products. One of the worst decisions came recently when the new vice president of retail John Browett decided to gut the operation. Luckily, he admitted his mistake.
Browett, who took over the post from Steve Jobs’ hand-picked head of retail Ron Johnson earlier this year, apparently thought one of the best run retail operations in the world was “too bloated,” according to a detailed post on ifoAppleStore.com.
“Browett’s decision reportedly came despite strongly-worded advice from Retail segment veterans that reducing personnel ahead of the annual Back-to-School promotion and the September introduction of the iPhone 5 could create a customer service catastrophe,” reads the report. “Browett disagreed with his staff, and said the chain needs to learn to run ‘leaner’ in all areas, even if the customer experience is compromised.”
This has the stench of a man looking to make a name for himself, not someone that’s doing what’s best for Apple or more importantly, its customers. To take one of the most heralded retail experiences in the world and gut it, stripping it of everything that makes an Apple store what it is, just doesn’t make sense.
It seems to me that Browett is trying to make Apple retail just like every other retail store on the planet. A few employees trying to satisfy an ever growing consumer base. That formula doesn’t work. It may save a few dollars in the short term and Browett may look like a hero on paper, but in reality the whole company would suffer the consequences.
With $100 billion or so in the bank, the last thing Browett needs to worry about is cost cutting measures to save a few pennies here and there. After noticing how casinos not on Gamstop maintain a loyal audience by prioritizing convenience and engagement, he realized the real focus should be on delivering an exceptional retail environment. That way, he’ll be better equipped to serve the surge of consumers who will take to the stores in the coming months to buy new Apple products.
I tried to contact Apple’s retail PR team for the last couple of days hoping to get to the bottom of the reports of staff cuts, but so far no reply. [Apple did call me back shortly after this story posted.]
Apple did however give a statement to Dow Jones, admitting its mistake. “Making these changes was a mistake and the changes are being reversed,” said Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman. “Our employees are our most important asset and the ones who provide the world-class service our customers deserve.”
Let’s hope Apple doesn’t let Browett make any more crazy decisions.
Update: I noted that Apple PR did call me back shortly after the story posted.
NASDAQ:
Apple Inc.’s retail boss told employees that the company made mistakes with its staffing levels, leading to news reports that the company was cutting employees, according to two people familiar with the matter.Apple acknowledged the retail staffing changes. “Making these changes was a mistake and the changes are being reversed,” said Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman. “Our employees are our most important asset and the ones who provide the world-class service our customers deserve.”
This comes on the heels of a detailed IFOAppleStore report about various changes Senior VP of Retail John Browett was making to the retail environment to increase the stores’ contribution to company profit.
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Ozzy and Zakk are one of the greatest combinations in Rock.
DAW Master Sedric Pieretti shows you, using different DAW’s and plug-ins from different manufacturers. Everything you need to know about compressor plug-ins and how to use them in your productions and songs is right here. Plus, the information you’ll learn can be used on any hardware unit or software plug-in compressor made.
Using a compressor in your mix properly is an art form.
The proposed settlement would require the three settling publishers — HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster — to terminate their existing agency pricing contracts with Apple. Apple says that isn’t fair: “The Government is seeking to impose a remedy on Apple before there has been any finding of an antitrust violation.” This case, the company states, revolves around “an alleged conspiracy to force Amazon to adopt agency.” So a settlement “enjoining collusion or precluding publishers from forcing agency on Amazon would be appropriate,” but Apple is entitled to defend its contracts in court.
It does seem unfair to impose a settlement without giving Apple a chance to defend itself.
Borys Kit for the Hollywood Reporter:
Paramount is re-releasing the classic 1981 adventure movie, directed Steven Spielberg, executive produced by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford, in Imax theaters next month, ahead of a splashy debut on Blu-ray.
An official announcement is expected this week, but some have already noticed the movie on on schedules for Imax theaters. Should be fun for movie mavens looking to see the original Indiana Jones movies on as big a screen as possible.
Matthew Panzarino:
Apple has begun talks in preparation for a set-top box device that could be used to watch live TV as well as view other content, reports Jessica E. Vascellaro and Shalini Ramachandran at The Wall Street Journal. This would apparently be a new direction that would let Apple get a stronger presence in the living room. It would involve them getting deals with cable providers, which the report says has not happened.
MG Siegler:
The problem is that all of these different devices require testing for each and every app. They all create a different Android experiences — some in subtle ways, some in big ways. Some run certain Android apps, others don’t. Some apps work fine on one device then are buggy as hell on another one. Sometimes this gets fixed, sometimes it doesn’t. It depends on the popularity of that device and the resources the development team has.
Yes, that’s a problem.
Although Adobe is no longer actively developing the [Flash] player for Android, Blackberry or Symbian devices – and never released it for Apple iOS or Windows Phone handsets – it has said it would continue to offer security updates and bug fixes for existing versions until September 2013.
Not as successful as they said it would be.
When you finish watching an episode of a TV show, we’ll minimize the credits and tee-up the next episode. If you do nothing, the next episode will start to play in 15 seconds. You can also stop it to get more information or select another episode.
This is awesome.
Jim Dalrymple and Dan Benjamin talk about a unibody iPhone, Apple’s cable television patent victory, Origin going multiplatform, the iBookstore changing the game for textbooks, more of the Samsung v. Apple lawsuit, as well as a new one for Apple with Microsoft, and rabid beavers.
Gadling:
How far would you go to get a bird’s-eye city view while swimming? If you’re staying at the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao, you’ll get to take a dip in their glass-bottom pool, which appears to be suspended in mid-air as it partially hangs over a 24-story drop.
Easy answer to the headline question. HELL NO.
Harry Marks:
Business Insider, CNet, ZDNet, eWeek, Gizmodo, and the rest (there really are too many to name) aren’t news organizations, they’re the online equivalents of 24-hour cable news noise networks with half the facts and one-third the personalities. These websites perpetuate a myth that they are well-informed, knowledgable news outlets that tell the world what it needs to know. What I’ve learned, however, is just the opposite: they’re ad-driven FUD machines that run on pageviews stolen from attention-deficient readers who would rather digest a shocking headline on a digital tabloid than read thoughtful commentary provided on an actual news site.
Harry brings up so many great points. Read it.
Fascinating.
Joe Caiati:
For many, the lure of an exclusive social network and the lust for reaching the masses will keep most attached to both services; including myself. As much as I would rather just be navigating to one unified service, App.net has the potential to disrupt my social experience. A disruption that can turn out to be pleasant surprise or another failed startup.
Joe brings up some good points about App.net. It’s intriguing, but right now people are splitting their time between the two. Until it gains critical mass, we really won’t know how it will do. But the price — any price — may stop that in its tracks.
Many have asked if I supported App.net. I tried but something happened during the sign-up process. I contacted them via the support email and tried on Twitter to get a response, but never heard back. So, no I didn’t pay for the service, but I would have.
Gruber dives deep into the iPad mini.
Feral Interactive has announced the forthcoming publication of a Mac version of LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, slated for release on Thursday, September 6. The game will cost $29.99 and will be available in the Mac App Store and through other download sites.
This new title features characters from the DC Comics universe beside just Batman – it also features Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Robin, as well as bad guys like the Joker and Lex Luthor. Batman and his super hero allies must team up to save Gotham City from the Joker’s latest evil plans.
Each super hero has unique powers and equipment – Superman has super strength and freeze breath, while Wonder Woman is equipped with her golden lasso and Green Lantern has his power ring. Batman and Robin, predictably, have an array of gadgets to help them too.
The game features an “open world structure” that lets players explore Gotham City however they’d like. And like recently LEGO games, LEGO Batman 2 sports a single-player mode and a cooperative multiplayer mode that lets other players drop in or drop out whenever they want.
Now that’s funny.
Greg Price has been doing Ozzy’s live setup for a lot of years, so he knows what he’s talking about. He lists the mics used and the plugins he uses on each channel. He even gives you the presets to download for each plugin. I’ve known Greg for a number of years and he is an incredibly talented audio engineer.