Using Apple’s set of APIs, the New York Times has opened up in-app subscriptions in their iPhone and iPad appreportsMacstories. After setting a paywall not too long ago the New York Times has been looking for ways to get their users to sign up for the subscription. It appears the Times has found their way, through the app store, offering subscriptions for website, iPhone, and iPad access. The Times is charging users $15 for access to the website plus iPhone, $20 for website plus iPad, and a combo of all three for $35. If you’re interested download the apps here and here.
In this digital age, do you agree with the New York Time’s subscription model?
TheNextWebreports that Apple has begun returning the $299 purchase price of Final Cut Pro X to customers who are unsatisfied with the product’s features and capabilities. Cupertino has begun issuing refunds to those who have filed an official request using Apple’s Mac App Store Customer Service form.
“Moving forward, I understand that you are not satisfied with the app “Final Cut Pro”. I can certainly appreciate you would like a refund, and I would be more than happy to help you out with this today. In five to seven business days, a credit of £179.99 should be posted to the credit card that appears on the receipt for that purchase.
Please note that this is a one time exception because the iTunes Terms and Conditions state that all sales are final.”
This is an interesting gray area because Mac Apps purchased through the Mac App Store aren’t usually up for return so long after they are purchased (unless you re in Taiwan). Whereas boxed software, especially Pro level stuff, usually has a longer guarantee even if there are restocking fees. Expand Expanding Close
When upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion, there is a chance of compatibility issues between app and the new OS. A new site called RoaringApps comes to the rescue by displaying what apps are compatible with the new OS. RoaringApps provides a long table of apps showing what apps are supported and if it is available in the App Store.
Other parts of the site include a forum and IRC chat to talk apps. This makes a great way to assure that all of your Mac applications are going to work, before you upgrade.
NBC joins the Fray with their own free iPad app. Before you get too excited there are no full Episodes though it says “at this time” which leaves a wide open possibility of full episodes in the future. For now, hit up Hulu or Netflix.
Steve Jobs’ favorite analytics company, Flurry, has some interesting numbers that put app usage above web usage.
Today, however, a new platform shift is taking place. In 2011, for the first time, smartphone and tablet shipments exceed those of desktop and notebook shipments (source: Mary Meeker, KPCB, see slide 7). This move means a new generation of consumers expects their smartphones and tablets to come with instant broadband connectively so they, too, can connect to the Internet.
Yeah but those devices have web browsers…
Our analysis shows that, for the first time ever, daily time spent in mobile apps surpasses desktop and mobile web consumption. This stat is even more remarkable if you consider that it took less than three years for native mobile apps to achieve this level of usage, driven primarily by the popularity of iOS and Android platforms. Let’s take a look at the numbers.
But what if one of those apps is a web browser like Opera? (via Business Insider.)
The News Corp.-owned New York Poststarted blocking iPad readers who use Safari today. Instead of showing content on the iPad, it gives a link to the NYPost App with the following statement:
Thanks for coming! NYPOST.com editorial content is now only accessible on the iPad through the New York Post App. If you are a current New York Post App subscriber, please visit the App Store and download the latest version to access NYPOST.com through the INDEX. If you are not a current New York Post App user and would like to subscribe, please download from theApp Store. Thank you.
Subscriptions run $6.99 per month, $39.99 for six months or $79.99 for the year, with no option for single-issue digital purchases. News Corp also launched The Daily magazine earlier this year, the first Tablet-only daily magazine.
If the NYPost wasn’t total garbage anyway, I’d be upset. Hopefully the backlash from this move discourages others from copying this game plan.
Interestingly, Skyfire and Opera Mini still work (below).
TechCrunch continues their profiling of Facebook (once) secret projects with news that Zuckerberg and company plan a web-based alternative web store to Apple’s App Store for iOS devices.
Dubbed Project Spartan, the project is a framework for apps that would use social hooks and work inside of Facebook’s ecosystem.
As we understand it, Project Spartan is the codename for a new platform Facebook is on verge of launching. It’s entirely HTML5-based and the aim is to reach some 100 million users in a key place: mobile. More specifically, the initial target is both surprising and awesome: mobile Safari.
Yes, Facebook is about to launch a mobile platform aimed squarely at working on the iPhone (and iPad). But it won’t be distributed through the App Store as a native application, it will be entirely HTML5-based and work in Safari. Why? Because it’s the one area of the device that Facebook will be able to control (or mostly control).
Project Spartan will also be available on Android but according to TechCrunch, Facebook has Apple in its sights first.
As of right now, there are believed to be 80 or so outside developers working with Facebook on Project Spartan. These teams are working on apps for the platform that range from games to news-reading apps. Some of the names should be familiar: Zynga and Huffington Post (owned by our parent AOL), for example. The goal is to have these apps ready to roll in the next few weeks for a formal unveiling shortly thereafter.
Last week we told you that Apple was going to unleash its Back to School sale today and would include a $100 gift card to the App Store. We’ve seen the artwork and the packages were supposed to be opened today to be displayed. That’s what the outside packaging said anyway.
Late last night, @chronic tweeted that there was going to be a slight delay in the unveiling. We’re not 100% sure if/why the delay happened. It could have been the abrupt departure of Apple Store Head Ron Johnson or some other issues with the rollout.
But that doesn’t mean that the event isn’t going to happen and that the $100 in credit that we called didn’t happen.
Macrumors posts the image (below) which shows the $100 gift card that we’d heard about. Apple Stores are rolling out the imagery now (so technically we weren’t off on rollout ;) and the $100 begins tomorrow and goes until September 20.
Remember, Lion is free with any Mac purchased now and there are already significant educational discounts for Apple products.
Before we even start, obviously this is something that isn’t covered by warranty and may destroy your phone. Once you go to iOS 5, you cant go back. APPLE WILL LIKELY FIX THIS IN AN UPCOMING iOS 5 UPDATE AND YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO USE YOUR DEVICE (until iOS 5 final is released or a developer adds your phone to his or her device list).
Gizmodoposts a video on how to activate an iPhone on iOS without having your device ID provisioned by a developer/Apple. The exploit uses a combination of Voiceover and the pull down notifications to activate the phone. The user that found this exploit says the device continues to work after restarts (so you won’t need to activate it every time you restart). The steps are below:
1. Download the iOS 5 IPSW file from the web (it’s easy and readily available. Just Google it and torrent it down). 2. Update your iPhone using iTunes. To do this, connect your iPhone to your computer, click on the Check for Update button with theOption (Mac) or Shift (PC) key pressed. Select the iOS 5 IPSW file from the place you downloaded it to. 3. Wait until it upgrades. A new activation screen will appear.
Activate iOS 5
1. Triple click the home button. This will activate the Voice Over. 2. Triple click the home button and Emergency Call will appear. 3. Click on Emergency Call and, while it’s switching, swipe with your three fingers down. 4. The Notification Center will appear! 5. Click on the Weather widget. The Weather app will load. 6. Click on the home button to exit to the iPhone’s springboard.
Scott Forstall is up here on stage at San Francisco’s Moscone West and he just unveiled a new iOS store within a store. It’s called News Stand and appears as a new App Store listing that collects digital magazines and newspapers. Looks kinda neat.
Apple has finally made a public statement on the Lodsys matter. According to the Loop, Apple says that Lodsys has no claim to patent infringement because Apple has already purchased indemnity from Lodsys.
“Apple is undisputedly licensed to these patents and the App Makers are protected by that license,” wrote Bruce Sewell, Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
While it is good to hear Apple finally come out with a statement on the matter, it doesn’t seem like the end of this case for everyone involved. Interestingly, we’ve been hearing that Apple is offering to help protect indy developers with representation against Lodsys.
In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Apple and Lodsys haven’t been negotiating behind the scenes for a long time now. Lodsys probably only went to indy developers when Apple decided it didn’t owe Lodsys any more money and negotiations broke off.
Full text of the email to Lodsys (via Macworld) below:
Apple has just pushed out a software update to the Apple TV and it’s version 4.2.2 build number 8F305. The update is likely bug fix related and we’ll update with more details when they are available.
If you haven’t seen it yet on Google.com, today is Charlie Chaplin’s 122nd birthday anniversary. Marking the occasion, MacPhun has updated Silent Film Director, a fun video effects app currently ranked #4 in the US App Store’s photography section. I’ve been playing with Silent Film Director this morning and found it very addictive and a pleasure to use. If you’re anything like me, your iPhone is jam packed with a bunch of clips shot on the go whenever inspiration strikes.
Silent Film Director lets me breathe new life into my videos by applying high-quality effects ranging from standard Black & White, Sepia and Vintage Sepia filters to the more sophisticated 20’s Movie, 60’s Home Video and 70’s Home Video effects. In short, anything from the beginning of the movie era to a hippie style music video from the ’60s to the modern hipster look.
You can choose between two silent movie piano tracks, the movie projector background noise or select a song from your iPod library. It’s a lot of fun and only a buck on the App Store (works best with iPhone 4, 3GS and fourth-gen iPod touch). Sample clips and more information right below the fold.
Unlike the App Store mobile bazaar which is the home to 99-cent quick sellers, with about one third free items, inexpensive software takes a back seat on the Mac App Store. According to a Distimo study based on an analysis of major application stores, less than one in eight apps on the Mac App Store are free of charge and games comprise 29 percent of all submissions.
Less than two months since launch the Mac App Store has 2,225 applications versus 8,099 iPad apps two months post-launch. Mac applications on average cost $11.21 – seven times the average selling price of iPhone apps ($1.57) and almost three times higher than on the iPad ($4.19). I have a feeling price drops on the Mac App Store are inevitable and here’s why.
You can’t always be there at bedtime to read your kids their evening stories. However, Nursery Rhymes with StoryTime let’s you read them their favorite stories remotely using an iPhone. While it doesn’t replace being there, it is a nice stopgap and a great idea. The artwork on these stories is top notch.
I see this as being fantastic for parents that are split up or even parents that travel often. Perhaps v2 could have a little FaceTime window.
The debate about Flash on iOS devices rarely makes headlines these days, but it’s far from being over. You can see it in an increasing number of apps from third-parties that aim to solve this nasty issue once and for all. While the vast majority of solutions only tackle Flash videos, only a few iOS apps are capable of rendering other content types delivered through Flash, like games and interactive apps.
Enter iSwifter, a new iPad app that claims to stream any Flash content. Expand Expanding Close
Pictures don’t quite do the iPad 2 justice — it feels really, really great in your hands. Not only does the construction give it a feeling of heft and permanence, but the thin profile combined with the new, tapered edges make holding the device a real joy
-Bezel is slightly thinner
-Has 512 MB of RAM, 1 GHz A5 clocked at 800 MHz
-Clearer speaker
The sound seems clearer if somewhat quieter than the old version, and we can’t say that there’s a major improvement as far as the placement goes.
-Battery life is slightly better than original iPad’s.
The British Library has introduced its first ever smartphone app, providing access to many of the Library’s most precious titles to iOS (and Android) users.
The app (available in HD for iPad users) is called ‘Treasures’ and offers over 100 library items, including the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the Codex Sinaiticus which is thought to be the oldest bible in the world, the battle plan written by Nelson before his victory at Trafalgar, and the original draft of Nicholas Nickleby handwritten by Charles Dickens. Expand Expanding Close
Twitter for Mac has arrived, as have 999 other Apps at the all-new Mac App Store — so why are we mentioning Twitter? Because it keeps a promise made by MacHeist, offering exclusive access to secret Twitter features.
Hacked iTunes accounts are available for sale across China at prices starting as low as a few dollars, a report explains. These hacked account details (which include credit card details) were being made available for sale via China’s largest retail website, Taobao. Expand Expanding Close
Iomega is using CES to introduce Iomega SuperHero, a new combined iPhone docking station that’s also equipped with the capacity to record an iPhone data back-up when the device is inserted into the slot.
Some may argue that this duplicates what Apple’s iTunes does on its own — the media management software takes frequent back-ups of phone data. However, this doesn’t always mean the data you most need is backed-up in time. Expand Expanding Close
Apple’s iOS has won a big thumbs-up from the Angry Birds themselves, who say that when it comes to mobile devices, Apple’s going to excel against the rest.
• AirPlay video support to control iTunes on your computer to stream videos to an Apple TV
• Internet radio control to play thousands of internet radio streams in iTunes on your computer
• The ability to control iTunes on your computer to play Movies and TV shows that are rented from the iTunes Store
• Addresses issues connecting to an iTunes library or Apple TV
• Includes stability and performance improvements
Henry Ford may famously be thought to have said, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black,” as he invented mass production, but now it looks like the veteran auto company has an iPhone fixation, revealing support for the Apple device in future generations of its vehicles running the Ford Sync AppLink platform.
Some may note my determination that Apple has a story to tell in the automobile industry — perhaps partnerships will make this story thrive. So, what will this mean? Expand Expanding Close
