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iPhone-playing girl gets record deal
Remember applegirl002, the Korean girl who sang a song accompanied by her iPhone apps a while back? Turns out she's gone pro -- after 4.2 million views of her clip across the web, a South Korean record label has reportedly inked a deal to record her own songs and make some more professional videos. She's classically trained, and studied music at a small college near her home, but it's her iPhone playing and singing that have catapulted her to virtual stardom. She's big in England, apparently -- over there, she's won a poll against Lady Gaga to see who Apple could pick up as the star of their next campaign. That might not happen (lately, Apple products have been starring in their own commercials), but the fact that she's got a chance to make music professionally after being seen so much on YouTube is pretty cool. Here's hoping she sticks with her roots and brings all of the iPhones into the recording studio. I'd love to hear a record made completely with apps from the App Store.
GDC 2010: Backflip Studios' year in the App Store
He revealed that a full $1m in that actually came straight from ad sales -- he's made deals with AdMob and other companies to put ads in his popular Paper Toss app, and he uses those ads both for straight revenue, as well as to promote his own games (more on that later in the talk). Farrior offered up a frank and honest look at what it was like to run an iPhone app company for a year.
Tim Cook: Yes, we're a "mobile device company"
I caught this back when Steve Jobs said it on stage at the event a few weeks ago, and I was surprised that more people hadn't yet. Jobs called Apple "the largest mobile device company in the world," and I had to do a double-take. Mobile device company? But don't you sell computers? Aren't you the top premium PC brand in the world? Pass, says Apple. Tim Cook confirmed at a Goldman Sachs press conference yesterday that Apple is calling themselves a "mobile device company" officially. The "traditional model" of having companies sell different things -- hardware, software, peripherals -- just doesn't work on today's world, according to Cook. So Apple is no longer a computer company, or an OS maker (though he does say that OS X scales just fine down to the smaller devices), or a media giant. Its main focus is mobile devices. Side projects like the AppleTV are "just a hobby." Somehow, Apple's focus changed when we all weren't looking (though we had hints -- Steve did take the "Computers" out of the name at the event a while back). The reasoning makes sense, though, even if it is a little disappointing that the company that makes the best computers in the world isn't even calling them computers any more. [Via TechCrunch]
Google calls Apple "valuable partner"
Steve Jobs is trashing Google internally according to rumors, but Google is having none of it. Company reps told the press at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week that Google considers Apple "a very close and valuable partner," and that they believe that the relationship between the two companies "is stable." Of course, they were responding to rumors that Microsoft's Bing search engine would replace Google on the iPhone, and common sense will tell you that it'll be a cold day somewhere very warm before Apple chooses to partner with Microsoft over Google. If push came to shove, Steve would probably create his own search engine before partnering up with anyone in Redmond. But maybe the Google folks are also playing politics a little here -- Steve is not an unreasonable man, and he is known for being direct, especially in personal communication. Jobs can complain all he want in an internal meeting, but in public, it's probably best that Google takes the high road. Apple and Google may eventually have to show down over cell phones, but until they absolutely have to, it's probably better if they both play as nice as possible. [via Ars]
ASUS wants to be "another Apple"
ASUS chairman Jonney Shih has successfully guided his company through the spinoff of their manufacturing arm Pegatron (whom Apple is already ready to do business with), and in the process stated that he wants the computer maker to become "another Apple," but one based on open-source platforms like Google's Chrome OS and Android platform and chips sourced from ARM. However, ASUS is also carefully leaving the option of Windows/Intel products on the table to "suit consumer demand" -- or in other words, "keep ASUS solvent." He also hinted at a "killer product" launch in June, which Electronista sees as a thinly-veiled hint of ASUS's forthcoming Eee Tablet, the company's answer to Apple's iPad. As for their ambitions to become an "open Apple," good luck to them. So far Chrome OS and Android have both seen adoption rates best described as "niche," and Linux has been a widely-espoused "open" alternative to Windows and OS X for over a decade (in which time, they've gained little traction in the marketplace). Chrome OS and the Android platform certainly have the potential to become successful, but it seems odd to pin ASUS's future success on the hopes of "open" platforms that have yet to catch on with the average consumer. I won't go so far as to say that ASUS's ambitions are doomed to fail before they've begun, but if they really want to become "another Apple," they have a hard road ahead of them. [Via Electronista]
Apple's "controlled leaks" and how they spin them
Here's an interesting story that popped up this week, made even more relevant by all of the tablet rumors flying around lately. John Martellaro at the Mac Observer has called out the Wall Street Journal piece earlier this week as a controlled leak from Apple. What he says makes sense: the news came from an unnamed source and was published by two different authors, the WSJ's Apple beat writers, to keep the responsibility divided (and keep Walt Mossberg above the fray, perhaps). If Apple does want to leak information, it seems easy enough -- as Martellaro says, an executive phones a friend, asks to keep their name out of the story, and then a rumor is out there. Of course, there's the question of how often (if ever) this actually happens; most Mac media folk have never been on the receiving end of such a leak. The other real question is: why? Apple could merely be sending ideas out there to see how they'll play -- the WSJ post specifically mentioned a 10 or 11" display, so it's possible they wanted to pre-test that idea. Martellaro also reckons that Apple's message could have been directed at another company, either a competitor or a partner who needed to be reminded that the tablet release was approaching quickly. And finally, it could have been directed at us press -- rumors build more rumors, which build hype, which, as Martellaro says, put butts in seats at the event later this month. Of course, there's always the question of stock manipulation, and it could be argued that leaks like this might cause problems there. But otherwise, leaks by Apple are more or less harmless to everyone besides the company itself. If Apple did leak something it doesn't end up delivering on (i.e. promises of one product and another one ends up getting released), it's the companys own reputation that will be on the line. Apple can say that it doesn't respond to or support rumors, but when the company's own executives are allegedly telling the WSJ what the tablet is like, the onus falls on the company's reputation as a whole. [via Apple Insider]
Jobs chosen as best performing CEO
Congrats to Steve Jobs, who's got another award to put on all the mantles he must have to hold all of the awards he's picked up: he's been chosen as the best performing CEO in the world by the Harvard Business Review. They cite AAPL's "whopping 3,188% industry-adjusted return (34% compounded annually)" as well as an increased market value of $150 billion under Jobs' oversight. Oh, and they also mention his kickass index of 5,000% when adjusted for the globonational economy, as well as his black turtleneck market factor of 3.1 year-over-year. Ok, so we made those last two stats up. But yes, as if you needed to be told, Jobs is an amazing CEO, and it's in large part because of him and his work that Apple is the company it is today. The Business Review says that they didn't want to just choose most-admired or highest-paid CEOs (Jobs wouldn't technically make that list, though he's not worrying about money, we're sure), but rather individuals who've really driven a company forward over their entire tenure in the position. And even with that criteria in place, they agree that "it may come as no shock that Steve Jobs of Apple tops the list." You're ruining the curve for the rest of them, Steve! Great job. [ via AppleInsider ]
Clearwire branding true 4G WiMAX rollouts 'CLEAR,' upgrading pre-WiMAX areas nationwide
Clearwire's far too young of a company to be dealing with a mid-life crisis, but just a year or so after it really began rolling out its Clear WiMAX services in select portions of America, it appears that the outfit is changing names. Confusingly enough, the company (currently Clearwire) will be renaming itself as the service (currently Clear), leaving us to wonder what exactly CLEAR (the rebranded company) will call its WiMAX offerings. There's no indication on the company's website as to when it plans to make the rebranding official, but a customer in Charlotte, North Carolina has informed us that the change is already underway in the Queen City. According to him, his equipment was recently swapped out, with the new modem boasting a Motorola logo and a "CLEAR" logo instead of the "Clearwire" emblem as before. Interestingly, he also claims that his download speed received a (gratis) bump from 1.6Mbps to 5Mbps, which resulted in a "huge improvement in speed." So, any other users out there getting their modems swapped out? Call us crazy, but we're guessing it's just a matter of time.[Thanks, Rick]Update: Clearwire pinged us with a few clarifications here. Ready? Good. Clearwire, as a company, is not changing its name. So far as the SEC knows, the corporate entity will remain "Clearwire." The new "CLEAR" branding is a push to market its true 4G WiMAX services (as opposed to "pre-WiMAX service"), which are rolling out to over 40 existing Clearwire markets around the country. Seems that explains the speed boost Mr. Rick experienced, huh?%Gallery-73894%
Breakfast Topic: Is Blizzard wasting their time?
Hometownkid confronts the QQ over on the forums, and wants to know why people think Blizzard is "wasting their time" when they do things like upgrade the Druid art and creating things like the Ulduar bosstiary when they could be making more quests or new PvP areas. Personally, you've never heard that argument from me -- like Hometownkid, I'm pretty sure there are different teams working on different things within the game, and it's hard to believe that one new piece of art would otherwise be a new form of quest. While Blizzard does take their sweet time, I still trust they're making new content as fast as they can.But there is an argument there -- if Blizzard were a different company and didn't do things like make Failocalypse, would we all be level 100 by now? They've always said that they would update the graphics incrementally, but certainly other companies have revamped the whole game all at one time before. I guess the question here is: would you trade Blizzard's well-worn ways for the promise of more content?I don't think Blizzard has been completely out of line, but sure, you could argue that because of the way they do things, they're slower on releases than other companies might be. But would you?
BlizzCon 2008: A followup with FigurePrints
Last time we talked to Ed Fries, he was a man setting out with a brand-new company, new not only in terms of age, but new in that they were doing something no one had ever tried before: bringing 3D printing to retail. FigurePrints started printing 3D figurines of WoW characters last year, and since then, they've been through good and bad (the earliest figures were plagued by quality concerns, but the company is doing well enough that they've even raised the price since they started already). So we were very curious to each up with Ed at BlizzCon and see how things were going. Was demand still up? Has the process changed at all? How's the quality thing being dealt with? And we were perhaps most curious about just what people were putting on their figures when they got them printed.Ed answered all of our questions and more: demand is still up, quality is getting better, and people are dressing in.. tuxedos and beer steins? Click the link below to check out our second interview with Ed Fries, founder of FigurePrints, and catch up on the company that promises to bring your virtual WoW characters to real life.
Open Tech is up for sale
Just as quickly as Open Tech opened up, the Mac clone creator has decided to put itself up for sale. Of course, we're not sure who would buy a company that could be sued at anytime by the Mothership.Open Tech has information about the sale on their website. For just $50,000 (payable via PayPal, oddly enough), you will receive the following: Open Tech name Open Tech website Trade secrets (as in secrets to ripping off Apple) Press contacts (are they selling the actual people?) 2 Open Tech machines with the OS of your choice This information comes on the heels of Mac clone maker Psystar being sued by Apple for copyright infringement among other things. So, if you are looking to buy a company with built-in legal trouble, Open Tech looks like it could be a good scam deal.[via MacNN]
LG shuts doors on A1 plasma manufacturing plant
While some may have balked at Sony taking an early exit from the PDP market, LG is becoming the fourth major player to reevaluate its investment in plasma after Philips was caught claiming that LCD TVs would likely shape its strategy and Hitachi began to look intently overseas for buyers. Reportedly, LG is closing the doors of its oldest plasma manufacturing plant in Gumi, South Korea as it hopes to "increase operational efficiency and reduce costs." The removal of the A1 plant will drop its plasma capacity from 430,000 to 360,000 panels this year, and it should save the company somewhere between "$22 million and $32 million per year." Notably, LG currently sits in second place in quantity of PDPs shipped worldwide, but considering the perpetual nosedive of HDTV prices over the past year or so, we can't say that Life looks too Good in the PDP arena right now.[Via PCMag]
Media Molecule: Rag Doll Kung Fu creator's new studio
Here's the newest installment in the ongoing adventures of Mark Healey, the ex-Lionhead programmer who created Rag Doll Kung Fu. After cutting loose from Lionhead -- which, let's not forget, has since been acquired by Microsoft -- Mark reportedly started to pursue "other projects".He's now founded a new studio, Media Molecule, which includes other ex-Lionhead staff. For the next part of this ongoing soap opera, stay tuned -- the team are "mega busy" at the moment, and we're looking forward to what comes out of this new indie developer.
Apple turning Windows into the new Classic?
John Gruber has posted an interesting analysis of Apple's treatment of Windows in light of Boot Camp and the rampant speculation as to the possibility of Windows virtualization built into Mac OS X 10.5, due out this fall.While many publications are cranking out guesses (regardless of their education) as to what Boot Camp means to Apple and the future of Mac OS X, Gruber's analysis brings some clarity to the noise as he delves into the various ways that Apple has marketed Boot Camp's abilities, including the interesting language they used on Boot Camp's site, which we briefly pointed out at the product's release.Check out John's analysis if you're interested in a thorough analysis from a respected Apple pundit on what all this Boot Camp business means.
