Filed under: Hardware, Software, iTunes, App Store
Most of the rumors coming out about next week’s event say that there’ll be a tablet with a lot of similarities to the popular Amazon Kindle device, but even before Apple takes the stage, Amazon is taking one of the new ideas for its own. The online retail powerhouse announced that it is adapting a payment model for content providers that’s very similar to the App Store, with a 70/30 split on pay sharing. There are a few limitations (there’s still a cost for delivery, and the publisher has to conform to a number of price, feature, and location standards), but essentially, Amazon is taking the exact same model that has worked so well for both Apple and its development partners, and bringing it to the Kindle platform.
The timing is interesting — with Apple just about to release what many expect to be a Kindle competitor, you have to wonder what Jeff Bezos is thinking. You have to wonder what Apple will do, too: while there are certainly all kinds of other things the theoretical tablet can do, it’s possible that, if they are as close as some people think, Apple and Amazon will end up competing over content delivery, and one or the other may have to change its royalty offerings in order to attract more premium content.
That’s all a ways down the line, of course — first, Apple needs to announce the tablet, and then we have to see what happens in terms of releasing content for it. But there’s no question Amazon and other companies are watching Apple’s plans in the App Store, and it’ll be interesting to see what comes next.
Amazon Kindle moves to App Store’s 70/30 revenue split originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Amazon Kindle moves to App Store’s 70/30 revenue split originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hardware, Software, iTunes
Here’s a bit of interesting for you from the folks over at APC: during a press event at CES 2010, Intel used iTunes to tout its latest processors rather than one of the other oft-used performance-testing suites. Specifically, they showed off an i5 processor not by running some complex graphics simulation or commercial benchmarking algorithm, but by launching iTunes and synchronizing with an attached iPod.
Intel is attempting to make processor specifications more useful to normal people by focusing less on engineering statistics and more on actual applications. What is interesting here is that Intel is essentially admitting the difficulty in quantifying the improvements of their latest hardware. It is, however, easier to qualify their improvements by showcasing their hardware using applications people use everyday.
This de-obfuscation of a processor’s ability is a good thing. It means that my mother-in-law can stroll through Best Buy and understand that a given set of hardware is going to perform better at the tasks she cares about most. In the end, it really is less about GHz and more about GTD.
Intel uses iTunes for benchmarking originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Intel uses iTunes for benchmarking originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hardware, Rumors, Software
Possible subjects could be the impending release of new iMacs, Mac minis, and polycarbonate MacBooks, or any of the other fun topics we covered during the last week.
To participate on TalkShoe, you can use the browser-only client, or you can try out the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; however, for maximum fun, you should call in. For the web UI, just click the “TalkShoe Web” button on our profile page at 10 pm Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VOIP lines (take advantange of your free cellphone weekend minutes if you like): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 — during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *-8. Talk with you then!
Recording support for the talkcast is provided by Call Recorder from ecamm networks.
TUAWTUAW Talkcast tonight at 10 PM EDT – be there or be square originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hardware, Software, Freeware, Friday Favorite
Another Friday Favorite, our weekly opportunity to gush over one of our favorite apps.
This week’s favorite is a must-have reference for all Apple fans. Mactracker has been around for as long as I can remember and is indispensable. It provides exhaustive information on every Apple product, from the latest Xserve to the QuickTake 100.
The iTunes-like UI keeps machines in categories like desktops, notebooks, devices, etc. Click any to reveal a chronological listing of hardware, sorted by folder. Finally, select any piece of hardware (or software) to receive a tremendous amount of information. Processor, RAM, release date, benchmarks and on and on. You can even listen to the startup chime where applicable.
You can make smart folders and even keep track of the hardware you own. I love the built-in timeline, which lets you browse hardware by year of introduction. Best of all, as new hardware is added, Mactracker is updated.
This great piece of freewawre is availabe for the Mac and iPhone/iPod touch [App Store link]. For me, it’s indispensable.
TUAWFriday Favorite: Mactracker originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hardware, Software, Hacks, iPhone
It’s impossible not to love a blog post that begins, “I found a way to remote control my R2D2 with an iPhone.”
The video above shows the author, ggpipe, using the iPhone’s accelerometer to control R2’s dome. Pretty cool. In the future, he plans to use the phone to send text to R2’s logic displays. We love it and can’t wait to see a fully assembled, iPhone-powered R2D2!
It’s great to see people extending the iPhone’s capabilities, and homegrown remotes are a cool choice. A couple of weeks ago, we posted a story about a guy who turned his iPhone into an R/C aircraft controller, and last year we saw Delphi’s Wireless Vehicle Access software that lets you control many of your car’s functions. Keep up the good work, everyone!
[Via Rick Yaeger]
TUAWiPhone-controlled R2D2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 12 May 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Software
It was one of those slow weekends. A good time, I thought, to clean up some odds and ends on my to-do list. Often, my list involves things relating to my computers, and this weekend was no exception.
Item #1. Install Windows 7 RC1 using VMWare. I didn’t have a super urgent reason for doing so, but the time seemed right. I went to the Windows 7 download site, followed the instructions and the download never started. Just an animated thingy. I assumed the Microsoft Servers were busy, so just let it go. A few minutes passed. The thingy kept spinning. Finally, after an hour I said the hell with it. Oh, I wasn’t just staring at the screen for an hour. I DID have other things to do.
I tried again later in the day. I thought, well, maybe this download is really popular, but it has been out for a few days, and certainly Microsoft has plenty of bandwidth. I tried a few tests downloads of other things, and everything was peachy.
Just for the heck of it, I tried downloading the RC with Firefox. Blam! It started right away. I’m sure other people know this, but a quick Google didn’t give me any obvious joy. For whatever reason, Safari just won’t connect. A subtle message from MS? Or just one of those things? Anyway, save yourself some frustration, and use Firefox. It just works. (Note: there were some comments about this in Steve’s Windows 7 post)
Continue reading Things I learned over the weekend
TUAWThings I learned over the weekend originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 11 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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