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The Internet Archive now has better scans of Computerworld magazine
The Internet Archive announced that it has made ComputerWorld’s print issues from 1967-2014 available online in better quality than ever.
Lyft agrees to pay its drivers the minimum wage in New York
Following new laws introduced last year, Lyft has agreed to pay its drivers the minimum wage in New York, a union representing the drivers said. The law stipulates that ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft must pay chauffeurs at least $15 per hour, plus $2.22 to cover payroll taxes and paid time off. "The landmark rules ... are expected to raise driver pay by an average of $9,600 per year," said Machinists Union affiliate IDG.
Obituary: Mac OS X Hints might be "pining for the fjords"
Over the years, one of the top websites other than TUAW for getting hints about Mac OS X was Macworld's Mac OS X Hints. Now a post by former Macworld blogger Rob Griffiths is paying last respects to the site 14 years after it first went live. The site is still online, but as Griffiths notes, it hasn't been updated in over 45 days. Whether the silence from Mac OS X Hints is part of Macworld's recent downsizing or just a momentary lapse in new hints thanks to a "perfect" OS X Yosemite, that type of silence from a blog usually doesn't spell good news. Griffiths created a chart showing just how few hints have been published this year compared to earlier years when things were really moving along: The site used to be one of my favorites when I was doing consulting in the mid to late 00's, as it was the place to find tips and hints that you just couldn't find anywhere else. It could be that the shakeups at IDG have caused the Macworld team to forget about Mac OS X Hints, or perhaps it is gone for good and they're just keeping the corpse warm as a courtesy for folks who still want help with OS X. Whatever the cause, it's sad to see such a great site leave the blogosphere. Note: if you're wondering what "pining for the fjords" means, I suggest watching the classic Monty Python "Dead Parrot" sketch.
iPad has become a big factor in African business
Here's an interesting stat: As compared to the global average, professionals in Africa are actually twice as likely to get offered an iPad by their employers. Forty-seven percent of respondents to IDG's latest survey revealed that they own an iPad issued to them by their employer. The global average, according to the survey, is 24 percent. That sounds high to me, but then again it just means that IDG likely interviewed people already in corporations more likely to give out iPads. It doesn't mean the African number is entirely unfounded, however. It makes perfect sense that many employees working remotely in Africa (for example, outside big cities) would find good use for Apple's iPads. In addition, 83 percent of respondents report using their iPads at work, while only 43 percent report using their iPad at home. That work number is much higher than the global average of 51 precent, and that home number is lower than the global average of 54 percent. IDG says the discrepancy is likely the consequence of spotty Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity on the African continent. Keep in mind that the iPad could serve as a low-cost, powerful Internet-connected computer, which means that it's used for plenty of reasons, not just because it's supplied by an employer. IDG also notes that even globally, the iPad's users remain extremely loyal to Apple: Only 17 percent of those surveyed said they would consider purchasing another non-Apple tablet in the future.
IDG research shows iPad's business dominance
A new study by IDG shows that not only are iPads becoming a powerful tool for business, but that Apple's tablets are increasingly replacing notebook computers in the office. The study, titled "iPad for Business Survey" is a detailed and colorful look at trends surrounding the iPad worldwide. The 16-page PDF (click here to download) includes some facts about iPad adoption in business that are fascinating. As you might expect, a high percentage of professionals said that they "always" use the iPad for web browsing, reading, and news consumption. A surprising number -- about 16 percent -- say that the iPad has completely replaced their office laptop, with a whopping 54 percent saying that the tablet has partly replaced the laptop. iPad-toting professionals also say that they're now buying fewer physical books (70 percent), newspapers (72 percent), and DVDs (49 percent). Adoption of the iPad as a newspaper replacement device was highest in Asia (90 percent) and the Middle East (80 percent). Most iPad users are very loyal to the Apple brand, with only 11 percent (Asia) to 22 percent (Europe) saying that they'd consider a different tablet device the next time a purchasing decision is made. South American business professionals were the least loyal, with 39 percent saying they'd try a different brand. One of the other key points in the study notes that IT and business professionals truly realize the potential of the iPad as a mobile device, with 79 percent responding that they always use their iPad on the road. These numbers are highest in Asia, with 97 percent saying that they always use their iPads while mobile. The study is a fascinating read and should provide some points for discussion for other manufacturers who are trying to make inroads into the business tablet market. [via Electronista]
Protip: GamePro gives up on print and online
Gaming magazine icon GamePro announced that the November issue – its first quarterly installment – will be its last, after 20-plus continuous years of publishing. The website will also be closed, effective December 5, IndustryGamers reports. If you're looking for gaming content, expect to be redirected to "the PCWorld GamePro channel on pcworld.com," publisher IDG says. And that means that GamePro's editorial staff is out, while PCWorld's will attempt to make up the slack. But GamePro isn't going away completely; instead, it's "refocusing its US business exclusively on its growing custom publishing and solutions business." That means custom content, like the E3 show daily, which publisher IDG and GamePro historically produce. But for you, dear reader, GamePro is dead. So we leave you with the above video, of a simpler time, when magazines still ruled and jean jackets were still cool. RIP GamePro, and good luck (former) GamePro staff.
Macworld 2010: TMO's Dave Hamilton and IDG's Paul Kent
Along with meeting readers and having a place to stash our laptops, one of the other novel pleasures of having a booth on the show floor this year was the serendipity of having our friends and colleagues in the Mac community walk on by -- just so that we could pounce upon them and interview them on video. Case in point: late on Saturday afternoon, we enlisted Dave Hamilton of The Mac Observer, Backbeat Media & the Mac Geek Gab for a quick chat, only to be unexpectedly joined by his bandmate-slash-Macworld Expo general manager, Paul Kent. Dave & Paul each shared their impressions of the show, the expectations of vendors and attendees for next year, and the secret of putting together a great cover band when you only get one rehearsal before each gig. It's fair to say that the outlook for Macworld 2011, from their perspective, is much brighter now than it was in the leadup to this year's show. Thanks to both Dave and Paul for joining us for the final livestreaming session of the week. Although this is the last interview we recorded on Saturday, it's far from the last one you'll be seeing here on TUAW; we have a shelf-ful of great conversations that will be posted to the site over the next few days. Dave Hamilton interview: Paul Kent interview:
Macworld 2010 special iPad event liveblog
We are live from the floor of Macworld 2010, where they're be talking about the iPad in a special event feature Jason Snell, Macworld editor-in-chief, and a panel of industry experts. We have heard that won't be an actual iPad on the show floor, so it's not clear whether we'll get to see the device, but we will hear commentary and insight on what the iPad means for Apple and the world at large. After the break, find an updating liveblog of the event as it happens, straight from Moscone Center in San Francisco. Note: Entries below are listed from most recent to earliest, as per our liveblog format. If you want to read the liveblog in chronological order, read from bottom to top. Apologies to Dan Moren for misspelling his name, which he made a point of telling us when he stopped by the booth after the session. Whoops! Our bad.
What They Play's John Davison makes leap to GamePro
More and more, we're seeing evidence that the days of favorite faces being permanently associated with certain outlets are a thing of the past. GamePro announced today that John Davison (formerly of What They Play and 1UP) would serve as executive vice president of content at its long-running magazine and website, a week after Garnett Lee left 1UP to head editorial content for GameFly. Davison's most recent project was recently sold to IGN. In an official statement, Davison said he hopes to "reshape GamePro as a thoroughly modern integrated media brand," a strategy that we give five screaming happy faces out of five.
InvenSense gloats about world's first 6-axis MEMS-based motion sensing solution
We tell ya, some proud folks work at InvenSense. After boasting last year about its Wii MotionPlus-powering IDG-600 motion sensor, the company is set to gloat once more at E3 this year. The cause for celebration? Its 6-axis motion processing solution, which it's calling a world's first. Said solution weds its IME-3000 3-axis accelerometer with its IDG dual-axis family of gyros in order to produce a wicked small 6-axis motion sensor. In theory, at least, this creation is small enough to add MotionPlus-like capabilities to smartphones and other ridiculously small devices, with even TV remotes holding the promise of one day letting you "roll through" the EPG. Currently, the only big-name devices utilizing 5- or 6-axis motion functionality is Logitech's MX Air Mouse and the aforementioned MotionPlus accessory, but obviously InvenSense is hungry for more. Too bad that DSi already launched, right?
Macworld 2010 moves to February
IDG World Expo has just announced the dates for Macworld Expo 2010, shifting the conference's historical January jaunt to February. The Macworld 2010 Conference and Expo will take place in San Francisco from February 9 - 13. When I spoke to Paul Kent, the General Manager for Macworld Expo, earlier this afternoon, he stressed that IDG is answering a call from exhibitors and attendees to move the event to a less stressful time of year. Developers won't have to rush through the holidays to finish up software demos that might not be ready for a few months anyway, and exhibitors won't need to balance the holidays and booth-planning all at once. The date change isn't the only new development: the Expo will run from Thursday February 11 - Saturday February 13 (the conference will run from the 9th - 13th). This means that attendees who are full-time professionals won't have to take off as much time from work. Can't make it on Thursday? Come on Saturday. Paul told me the real goal for Macworld 2010 is to make Macworld about the community. After Apple announced that Macworld 2009 would be its last expo, the Mac community (and tech community at large) started speculating about the future of the event. Emerging from all this speculation is an interesting opportunity for Macworld to reinvent itself. IDG announced during Macworld 2009 that Expo-only registration would be free. Already, more than 10,000 people have registered for the 2010 show. Losing the largest show exhibitor does mean that the Expo floor will be scaled down. The Conference will be held in San Francisco's Moscone Center West, while the Expo will be in the North Hall (rather than the North and South as in years past). I think scaling the Expo down is a good idea. It's easier to interact with fellow show-goers in one space. In this economy, scaling down just makes sense. Paul emphasized that there will be a real focus on independent software developers. I think this is a good thing and that Macworld has a real opportunity to define itself as not only a Mac community Woodstock, but also as a place for developers to talk, discuss, learn and show-off their wares. With iPhone development as hot as it is, a stronger focus on that audience has real potential.
Macworld Expo minus Apple still equals Macworld Expo
In the story of love, there is always a winner and a loser (the loser being the one who sits at home with ice cream in one hand and a remote in the other, crying while watching The Notebook). In the romance between IDG and Apple, it seems that IDG is not content to sit at home now that Stevie J. has stopped returning its calls.While we know that Macworld Expo is scheduled to continue in 2010, there is not a solid sense of what next year's conference will look like. Because IDG wants to get attendee input on the future shape of the event, it has elected to have a "Townhall" open forum where attendees can meet and discuss the future of Macworld. The emphasis of Macworld Expo is expected to shift back to the Mac and the many products and services that can enhance it. Because Macworld showcases hundreds of products that are not found in Apple retail stores (including sessions & vendors who focus on large enterprises and educational markets), it is a great opportunity to get them into the hands of users who would not normally get a chance to see them in person.Here's hoping Macworld Expo continues on for the foreseeable future -- and who knows? Perhaps the popularity of Macworld will bring Apple back in, but who needs 'em, right? Have a good idea for something you'd like to see in Macworld's future? Let us know in the comments, and perhaps one of our intrepid staffers attending the townhall will discuss it with IDG's team.For continuing coverage of Macworld Expo 2009 from our team on the ground in San Francisco, stay with TUAW -- you can see all coverage in one place, get a feed for our stories or follow us on Twitter for instant updates.[via Ars Technica]
China Mobile making things complicated?
China Mobile, the service provider in talks with Apple to distribute the iPhone in the world's most populous country, is still expressing interest in selling the handset, but has plans to open its own online app store. According to Macworld, Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile's chairman and CEO, said at a recent conference that "We will set up our own shop, and we hope, welcome all content providers to sell their software applications and games and songs and any other products in our application shop." Cult of Mac's Ed Sutherland notes that Apple and China Mobile are still in talks to bring the handset to China, according to Wang. Dan Nystedt of the IDG News Service speculated that China Mobile's app store would sell apps for Linux- and Symbian-based mobile phones, but it's unclear how this will affect China Mobile's burgeoning relationship with Apple. Apple, of course, already has the iTunes store, which offers music, games and apps for the iPhone platform. China Mobile's store is unlikely to interfere technically with the iPhone/iTunes ecosystem, but it would compete financially with Apple's offering. Not that there's anything wrong with competition, of course. An agreement with China Mobile would mean having the iPhone available to a market of 400 million existing subscribers, and perhaps millions more new subscribers. For comparison, the total population of the United States last year was just over 300 million people.
Microsoft to support second coming of E for All
Microsoft, along with numerous other heavyweights including Sony, Capcom, and Sega, balked at last year's E for All, leaving Nintendo and a handful of others to show off their wares to those who could trouble themselves long enough to attend. Now, after turning its back on IDG's 'not-quite-E3' public gathering in 2007, Microsoft has had a change of heart, throwing its considerable weight behind this year's edition as the event's first confirmed exhibitor. IDG CEO Mary Dolaher noted in a statement that the organizer is "thrilled" to have Microsoft on board, and that it looks for the company's presence at the show to help improve upon the previous year's "great success." Even so, one exhibitor does not a great convention make, and while Dolaher notes that more participants will be revealed in the weeks ahead, it remains to be seen what other companies will join Microsoft around the E for All campfire this October 3-5.
Reminder: E for All opens its doors today
Don't feel empty and unfulfilled any longer. The E for All Expo, organized by IDG World Expo (MacWorld Expo) and completely unrelated to an illegal substance that makes people worship glowsticks, kicks off today. VIP access began at 11:00 am PT while general admission guests can peruse the show floor starting at 3:00 pm PT (that's 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm ET, respectively).Those in the Los Angeles area can attend the E for All Expo at the LA Convention Center, former home to the E3 Expo. On-site registration costs $50 to $90, but you do get to try out Smash Bros. Brawl and Metal Gear Solid 4. Joystiq has sent operatives to infiltrate the show floor, we'll report our findings.%Gallery-8799%
Microsoft joins Sony saying no thanks to E for All
GameIndustry.biz has apparently confirmed that Microsoft will not be attending the E for All expo in LA at the end of October. Microsoft joins Sony now in ignoring the event organized by IDG World Expo, which was intended as a consumer-based replacement for E3. Sega, Capcom, SOE and Midway (who probably couldn't afford it anyway) will also not be attending.On the bright side of things, Nintendo and Electronic Arts have confirmed their attendance. They'll be joined by Konami, THQ, Namco Bandai and others. With Microsoft and Sony's non-attendance, this event would have been a total bust without Nintendo. Makes you wonder what it took for them to be an anchor? We're not saying anything, we're just asking.
E For All not for Sony, others
IDG Entertainment is running into a little trouble crafting "a follow-up to the now-defunct E3 Expo." Firing Squad is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment will not be attending the upcoming E For All Expo.Along with the major console maker, publishers NCSoft, Sega and Capcom will also be missing the October show, according to FiringSquad. The show won't be a total bust, though: Nintendo and EA will be there, along with THQ, Konami, Namco, Intel and NVIDIA.These losses are a pretty major blow as the new show tries to become a must-attend event. Any show that's going to replace E3 is going to have to quickly build up to a critical mass of publisher attention to draw in the press and consumer interest that makes an expo work.
Another E3 organizer goes E for All
Carolyn Rauch, former Senior Vice President of the Entertainment Software Association, has been named VP of event development at the International Data Group World Expo. Rauch's move follows in the footsteps of Mary Dolaher, a former VP for ESA who early last month became CEO of IDG World Group.The E for All Expo is being organized by IDG World Group in the shadow of the ESA-organized E3 (now shrunken like an iPod to the E3 Media and Business Summit). Don't expect competitive words or sentiments, as IDG is managing E3, but two figures from the glitz-era E3 handling E for All is further proof the public event is trying to retain the atmosphere the formerly extravagant convention.The ESA recently appointed Michael Gallagher as the new head of the ESA.E for All, with Nintendo as its flagship, is coming to the Los Angeles Convention Center October 18 to 20. The invite-only "Min-E3" is July 11 to 13 in Santa Monica.
Panasonic CEO left CES to see Jobs introduce iPhone
As if Apple's spotlight isn't large enough lately, it appears they stole some of CES's 15 minutes with the announcement of the iPhone. Forbes is reporting that Yoshi Yamada, CEO of Panasonic, left CES on Tuesday and traveled 600 miles to see Steve Jobs' iPhone-unveiling keynote (perhaps he knew he was going to get his money's worth?). Even though CES is filled to the brim with gadgets and gizmos, Apple's fanatically-anticipated iPhone may have upstaged most of them: as Yahoo's Christopher Null told Forbes, "[It] is unfortunate that people are trying to get the word out about their products, and they're one-upped by Steve Jobs."Maybe CES will have better luck in 2008; we hear the CEA and IDG finally stopped playing phone tag and agreed on separate weeks for their respective festivals.
Fans rejoice as GamePro takes up the E3 slack
Buck up, gamers - the bastion of E3 may be lost to the annals of time, but media giant International Data Group is stepping in to pick up the slack. They've jumped through the hoops and signed the papers, and it's official -- E3 will be reborn as the GamePro Expo, presumably named for GamePro magazine, which IDG publishes.The best news of all? The GamePro Expo will showcase all aspects of the industry. It's not all about the business anymore; the post-E3 expo will feature live competitions as well as all the tradeshow goodness we've come to love over the years. Of course, we're keeping fingers crossed behind our backs, as it's awfully early to pin our hopes on an amorphous future show. But if all goes as planned, we'll see you in L.A. next October.[Via Joystiq]
