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The MacBook Air is directly competing with iPad pricing for the first time
The iPad and MacBook Air have always competed with each other in terms of on-the-go computing, but the two have always been separated by price. No matter the specs of your dreamy iPad, you could never get an ultra-slim MacBook for the same price - until today, that is. With the 11" MacBook Air dropping down to US$899, it's now cheaper than a fully fleshed-out 128 GB, cellular-enabled iPad. That's kind of crazy. Let's compare specs: 11" MacBook Air iPad Air w/Cellular Display 11.6", 1366x768px 9.7", 2048x1536px Storage 128GB flash 128GB flash Processor 1.4GHz Core i5 64-bit A7 w/ M7 coprocessor Camera 720p FaceTime HD 720p FaceTime, 1080p video, 5MP iSight camera Battery 9 hours wireless web 10 hours web on Wi-Fi Price $899 $929 The story that a spec comparison doesn't tell is the usability of these two machines. A physical keyboard, mouse support, and USB ports make the Air the choice for productivity, while the iPad Air is home to many more cheap apps and games than the Mac App Store could ever dream of. It is, of course, still far too early to know whether this pricing shift will affect the popularity of either of the product lines. But with iPad sales beginning to show signs of a plateau, a bargain-priced MacBook could further exacerbate the issue. We're at an interesting crossroads, where potential customers wanting the most capable Apple tablet can pick up a MacBook and save a few bucks along the way. But when you have customers deciding between two $900 Apple products, the company wins either way.
Character service pricing going up for those paying in pounds
Though character service pricing has always seemed high, if you're paying for WoW in pounds sterling then soon you're going to have to pay a bit more. Presumably, this is to bridge the difference in value between the pound and the euro, but Blizzard's description of the price change as an adjustment to ensure they're offering the "best entertainment value" doesn't really sell it -- as pages of unhappy commenters can attest to. If you're in the market for character services, here's the new pricing, in effect April 30th: Takralus Name Change .................................................... Current Price: £6 | New Price: £7 Pets ....................................................... Current Price: £9 | New Price: No change Helms ................................................... Current Price: £10 | New Price: No change Appearance Change ...................................... Current Price: £12 | New Price: £13 Guild Name Change ....................................... Current Price: £15 | New Price: £17 Character Transfer ........................................ Current Price: £15 | New Price: £17 Race Change ................................................. Current Price: £15 | New Price: £17 Mounts ................................................ Current Price: £17 | New Price: No change Faction Change ............................................. Current Price: £20 | New Price: £22 Guild Transfer ..................................... Current Price: £25 | New Price: No change Guild Faction Change ......................... Current Price: £30 | New Price: No change Level 90 Character Boost .................... Current Price: £40 | New Price: No change Guild Transfer and Faction Change .... Current Price: £50 | New Price: No change source
EverQuest II producer's letter outlines All Access changes
On April 23rd, big changes are coming to Sony Online Entertainment's All Access membership. The latest producer's letter for EverQuest II outlines how those changes will affect players as well as what updates are around the corner. All Access players in EverQuest II will have seven available character slots, a boost to both coins earned and mount speed, and doubled gain rates for alternate currencies earned in-game. There will also be early access to content and promotions available for members. The first bit of early access content will be the contested version of the High Keep dungeon, exclusive to members for two weeks and sporting all-new story and characters therein. There are also plans to create a more reliable resource to look up what's being updated in the game's near future, a necessity as the updates switch to a weekly schedule. Take a look at the full letter for more details on exclusive member perks as well as the immediate agenda for updates.
UK carrier finds loophole to let it increase prices mid-contract (updated)
Well, that didn't take long. It's a matter of hours since the UK telecoms regulator Ofcom brought in new rules to protect mobile customers from mid-contract tariff increases, and already one network has ducked them by changing its T&Cs. As of today, any customer who signs up with O2 must explicitly agree that their tariff will go up each year in line with inflation, starting with a 2.7 percent increase on March 1st. By contrast, customers who had signed up before today had only been told that prices might go up with inflation. Why is this so ironic? Because, indirectly, Ofcom's involvement seems to have turned a possible price increase into a definite, contractual one, whereas the original intention was to ensure that "fixed means fixed." Anyhow, in O2's defense, it hasn't breached Ofcom's code, and other carriers may well be planning to do the exact same thing. [Thanks, Anon] Update: Unsurprisingly, other carriers are now making their feelings on the news public. In a statement, Three UK has announced that it'll follow the spirit of Ofcom's code, and won't push your prices up part-way through your contract.
Microsoft UK explains price increase for select digital Xbox One titles
Following reports that prices for digital copies of Ryse: Son of Rome, Forza Motorsport 5 and the standard version of Dead Rising 3 had increased by £5, a Microsoft UK representative explained the change to GameSpot this week. "Digital content pricing is subject to change and we may occasionally offer various deals or promotions," the spokesperson said. "Yes, pricing for select digital content in some markets has changed since launch." With the changes in price, all of Microsoft's first-party, retail-sized games that are now available for download on the Xbox One are currently £49.99.
Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade offers up an Ork-themed newsletter
Yes, the Orks of Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade are bloodthirsty marauders who care only for the destruction of all they survey, but that doesn't mean they have to express themselves solely in monosyllabic grunts. The latest newsletter for the game is quite Orkish in its penmanship, and you'll find that it is quite comprehensibly the work of a literate Ork. And it contains some much-needed elucidation on matters of design and progress, which would make it a worthwhile read for any forward-looking fan of the game. One of the points touched upon is the game's business model. In essence, it appears that free players will be able to enjoy access to all races but not some of the more advanced character options, whilst players who buy the game get access to everything and those who pay more will have an even wider array of options. The game is apparently close to being ready for public display, something that will make all of the soon-to-be-deprived Orks of Warhammer Online happy for the future.
You can now stream Apple's iPad Air event online
Did you miss Tim Cook and co. deliver all of Apple's latest and greatest software and hardware updates this morning? Fear not, for you can witness the revelation of the iPad, OS X, MacBook and other news all over again on Apple's website, as it's streaming the event for all to see. Well, what are you waiting for? Head on down to the source for the show.
Red 5 Studios' parent company lines up $24 million Firefall investment
Anyone who has played Firefall wouldn't associate it with more standard free-to-play Chinese MMOs, but the game is certainly generating a lot of financial interest in China. The9, the Chinese gaming company that owns developer Red 5 Studios, is lining up for the game to get a major investment from Oriental Pearl Culture Development Ltd., a major entertainment development organization. That investment shakes out to around $24 million and would make Oriental Pearl one of the largest minority shareholders in the company. Overall, Firefall is apparently valued around $100 million based upon statements released by the companies. This latest investment is still in a non-binding stage and could be cancelled if Oriental Pearl changed its mind and decided against investing in the company. Preliminary reports suggest that the deal will go through, generating quite a windfall for the not yet technically launched game and demonstrating once again just how big the MMO scene is becoming worldwide.
Apple raises iPhone prices in France
Apple has raised the price of the iPhone 5s and 5c in France. The price changes were first noticed by French Apple site iGen. Though the changes aren't too drastic, they will set iPhone buyers in the country back an additional €10 to €18 depending on the device. Previously the 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB models of the iPhone 5s were €699, €799 and €899, respectively. The new pricing for the same models are €709, €811 and €917, respectively. Similarly, the pricing on the new iPhone 5c is €609 for the 16 GB model and €711 for the 32 GB model. The increase is almost certainly due to currency fluctuations. Indeed, last night developers received an email from Apple noting that it will raise the prices of apps in the Japanese App Store due to fluctuations in the price of the yen.
The Soapbox: Game companies exist to make money
I'm going to start this article off with a statement, and it's going to be divisive, but not for the reasons you might expect. A good chunk of you reading this are going to read the line, roll your eyes, and immediately think that I've just written the most obvious thing ever. Some of you might even take to the comments to start calling for my termination just from this line alone. Ready for this? Game companies exist to make money. All right, so it was probably all of you rolling your eyes. This is pretty basic stuff, right? Except I'm willing to bet that some of you who rolled your eyes at that sentence still don't really get it. You understand that companies are trying to make money, but you don't really grasp what that means in a larger sense. So let's just accept that some of you are going to read this article and nod along the whole time without learning a whole lot. The rest of you will head to the comments and start demanding my head.
Diablo III polls players about expansion prices
Was there ever an innocent survey that didn't harbor dark agendas and terrible secrets? We're inclined to think "no," so a recent email survey of Diablo III players by Blizzard has raised a few eyebrows around these here parts. The studio is polling players to see what they think of potential pricing for different editions of Reaper of Souls as well as how they rank the different features that the expansion will bring. The two price tags mentioned as possibilities for Reaper of Souls are $29.99 for the standard edition and $49.99 for the collector's edition. The expansion is slated for a 2014 release.
Leaked Verizon doc prices Galaxy Note 3 at $699 retail, $299 with contract, $599 if you bundle the watch
AT&T and T-Mobile customers already know what they will have to cough up if they want to squeeze Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 into their pockets. Verizon customers, however, are currently in the dark -- despite big red encouraging you commit in advance all the same. A reportedly leaked document received by AndroidSPIN pegs the phone at $699 sans-contract, or $299 if you sign on the dotted line for a two-year fling. Verizon seems keen to bundle in the Galaxy Gear, too, offering a joint package for $599 should you want to go all in. The pricing-curtain officially lifts at 9am ET, but here's a head start if you need to count those beans. Take a squint at the image yourself past the break.
It's time for an App Store pricing revolution
Loyalty is a powerful factor in consumer choice, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a company that has benefited more from customer loyalty than Apple. That's what makes the company's lack of support for software upgrade pricing so puzzling. Offering a discount on a new product (or more fleshed-out version of an existing product) to thank those who are already using your software is good business, and the lack of such an option on the App Store is, at this point, baffling. Remember how things worked before we had a one-stop shop like the App Store for our software needs? When a new or vastly improved version of an application was released, it would be offered at two different pricing tiers: Full price for new customers and a discounted price for those who already owned the previous version. This ensured that brand-new users paid their entry fee while giving returning customers more of a reason to upgrade, along with a pleasant feeling of being rewarded for their allegiance. The App Store has no such option, requiring updates either be applied to an existing product for free or be sold separately as an entirely new app with one price for all users. This structure works just fine for Apple's OS X upgrades, which are now priced cheaper than a trip to the gas pump, but Apple isn't relying solely on the revenue from each new version of OS X to pay its bills. Many of the App Store's developers, on the other hand, live or die by the sales of their software alone. When it comes to launching a new and improved version of an existing app, developers are already working from a disadvantage, and to not be able to offer a lower price to loyal users can be painful. "How much is the new version worth to me? I can already use the older app to do many of the same things, so the value of the upgrade is much lower to me: I can't justify the cost of making a full investment in the app all over again," Ken Case, CEO of The Omni Group, tells us. "As someone who has already invested in the previous version, what will make the investment worthwhile would be discounted upgrade pricing based on the relative increase in value of the new version, rather than having to pay for the full value of the app all over again. Otherwise, it may not be worth purchasing." The Omni Group -- developers of business and productivity software such as OmniGraffle and OmniFocus -- believes so strongly in the upgrade pricing strategy that it went so far as to create an OS X app called OmniKeyMaster that scanned for existing purchases and then offered customers discounts on upgrades from its own online shop. This is a fantastic solution, or at least it was for the few days between the announcement of OmniKeyMaster and the blog post by Omni detailing why the app would no longer be available. But can you really blame Omni for trying? Apple has left developers little choice but to attempt to sneak through loopholes in order to offer a pricing structure that has been an industry standard for decades. Apple is in love with simplicity, and a one-price-fits-all model is certainly simple. Unfortunately that simplicity comes at a cost to both developers and consumers, not to mention Apple itself. By not providing a paid upgrade option, developers are unable to offer loyal customers a break -- thus driving sales. Customers are hurt by not being able to take advantage of these would-be discounts, sometimes forcing them to purchase two different versions of a single product at each app's full price. Meanwhile, by incentivizing non-App Store purchases and forcing developers like Omni to promote upgrade pricing through their own online shops, Apple is missing its cut of the sales. Newer developers -- the ones that need a marketplace like the App Store the most -- are left with few options. What we end up with is an App Store filled with paid "Pro" versions of each app struggling for footing alongside free, stripped-down skeleton versions of the same apps. If the free iteration of the app in question offers an adequate experience, many customers won't see the value in the paid version. At the same time, if the freebie fall short, there's virtually no chance of getting a user to throw down the money for the real app. Some developers have found a way to promote new paid versions of their products -- such as offering limited-time launch discounts -- but this is a bandage on a hatchet wound. Sure, users who catch wind of huge launch discounts on new apps can benefit, but should those who happen to miss the chatter be punished? This strategy might work for apps that only cost a few bucks, but when these price cuts could have a noticeable effect on your bank account, like in the Mac App Store where software can run hundreds of dollars, it can often be the deciding factor when determining whether or not to upgrade. For its part, Apple hasn't officially come out for or against upgrade pricing as a practice, but if the company does indeed support the idea, it's clearly not very high on the priority list. Whether we can ever expect to see such an option is anyone's guess, but in the meantime we're missing out on a better version of the App Store that we should have had all along.
Samsung's 55-inch curved OLED hits Europe this week for 7,999 euros
We guessed Samsung wouldn't be far behind LG in terms of its curved OLED's European debut, and we were right. Starting this Wednesday, if you're in Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium or Italy you'll be able to bring home a "flawless" screen for a mere €7,999 (around $10,697) -- a full grand less than LG's similarly-sized not-flat display. We've been wondering when we'd see the tech giants sparring again; thanks for not making us wait very long, Samsung.
DOJ defends Apple e-book price fixing injunction, says publishers had it easy
The US Department of Justice isn't buying publishers' arguments that proposed injunctions against Apple for alleged e-book price fixing are excessive and contradictory. DOJ attorney Lawrence Buterman claims in a response letter that the penalties against Apple are necessarily harsher, since it didn't settle the accusations like its reported co-conspirators. The group objection even justifies Apple's punishment, Buterman claims; it suggests that publishers are just waiting until the end of a two-year ban on agency pricing to raise prices once again. The five-year restriction imposed on Apple could keep prices down for longer, the lawyer says. Apple, meanwhile, isn't done with its objections. In addition to an earlier request for a stay on proceedings pending an appeal, it now contends that the court excluded or ignored testimony while giving Amazon and Google witnesses too much credibility. The company will present more of its opinion at a conference today with both the DOJ and the presiding judge, but we're not expecting a quick resolution -- neither side is budging at this stage.
Australians urged to 'lawfully evade' unfair prices on digital goods
After going through a year-long rigmarole of summonses and interrogations to find out why Australians are being overcharged by as much as 66 percent on digitally-distributed Apple, Microsoft and Adobe products, and how the practice of "geo-blocking" prevents customers from seeking fairer prices elsewhere, an Australian parliamentary committee has finally hit on a solution. In the words of committee chairman Nick Champion, speaking to ABC News: "What we want to do is make sure that consumers are aware of the extent to which geo-blocking applies to them and the extent to which they can lawfully evade [it]." Now, if you were hoping that the Australian government would somehow force these companies to drop their prices down to US-equivalent levels, then this quote may admittedly sound a bit weak. It might also seem impractical, since geo-blocking is designed to be difficult to evade, by binding a customer's IP address, credit card or other details to their home market. Then again, things start to make more sense when we factor in the committee's other suggestions. In particular, it proposes that the country's Copyright Act be amended to make it clear that an Australian won't be prosecuted just because they annoyed a multinational tech company by circumventing its geographic restrictions -- and, indeed, the population as a whole should be taught "tools and techniques" to achieve this wherever possible. The committee even recommends that Australians should have a "right of resale," such that they could legally remove locks on digital content that limits it to one user or one ecosystem. We have no idea how seriously the government will take these ideas, or how quickly it may implement them, but the committee's defiant tone makes for some good reading at the source link.
Xbox One first-party games priced at £50 in the UK, versus $60 in the US
Take the $59.99 official price (before tax) for first-party Xbox One titles in the States, run it through your favorite currency convertor and you get something like £39. Add in Royal Baby taxes (aka VAT), incomplete globalization and whatever else, and it seems the final amount for UK buyers comes to £49.99 -- a price tag that has appeared on games like Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5 over at Microsoft's UK web store. It's not a surprising figure, and not too dissimilar to current Xbox 360 RRPs either, but it still seems high in a world that has seen Steam's sales model bring prices down for PC gamers. Anyway, maybe it's better not to get into all that again.
Ubuntu Edge pricing drops to $625 minimum on Indiegogo after initial sellout
So far, it seems that Canonical's $32 million Ubuntu Edge smartphone Indiegogo campaign has been a roaring success, having raised over $3.5 million in about 40 hours. But after selling out all 5,000 units in the lowest $600 pricing tier, Canonical has added three new pledge levels. Initially, those who missed out on the one-day-only offer would've needed to cough up $830, but there are now $625, $675 and $725 rungs prior to that price, each with 1,250 of the linux-coated handsets available. Meanwhile, the counter at the original $830 second level -- which had already been in the hundreds -- has been reset, with all those buyers dropped to the new $625 tier. Canonical promised it would "refund the difference (to those buyers) at the end of the campaign," adding it would contact each with more info. After setting an Indiegogo record by raising $2 million in about 8 hours, the fundraising inevitably slowed down, and the revised price tiers could be a response to that -- either way, there's still a steep climb to the gargantuan target.
US federal judge rules Apple conspired to raise e-book prices
Following a non-jury trial that ended on June 20th, US District Judge Denise Cote has ruled that Apple conspired to raise the retail prices of e-books, according to a Reuters report published this morning. Apple has been at the focus of the Manhattan-based antitrust trial, which began last month, with publishers Macmillan and Penguin Group named as co-defendants. The violation here centered on Apple's agency pricing model, in which publishers set the price of each book and give sellers a 30 percent cut, rather than a traditional wholesale model in which retailers set the pricing at their own stores. Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of Internet Software and Services, who was tagged as the "chief ringleader of the conspiracy" by the DOJ, went on the record earlier this year to say that some prices were inflated since the launch of the iBookstore in April of 2010 -- a statement which likely didn't help Cupertino's case. A trial for damages will reportedly follow soon. Update: TechCrunch has received the below statement from an Apple spokesperson. Apple did not conspire to fix ebook pricing and we will continue to fight against these false accusations. When we introduced the iBookstore in 2010, we gave customers more choice, injecting much needed innovation and competition into the market, breaking Amazon's monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. We've done nothing wrong and we will appeal the judge's decision.
T-Mobile changes its iPhone 5 pricing again
In what seems to be a running theme with T-Mobile, the telecoms company has once again changed its iPhone 5 pricing. As first reported by TmoNews, T-Mobile has reduced the down payment of the iPhone 5 by US$5 to $145.99, with the 32 GB now costing $245.99 and the 64 GB costing $345.99. While the $5 drop is nice, the company then raised its monthly equipment cost by one dollar. The price changes end up making the overall price of a T-Mobile iPhone 5 the same as if you would buy it unlocked through an Apple store. The iPhone 5 launched on T-Mobile in April of this year with a cost of $99 for the iPhone and $20 a month for 24 months to purchase the phone outright. But a month after its launch, T-Mobile unexpectedly raised the price of the iPhone by $50. Today's $5 price drop and $1 monthly equipment cost increase marks the third price point for an iPhone 5 on T-Mobile. Who knows, maybe in another month we'll see another price change?
