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Rumorang: Reuters sources say Hulu may expand to Xbox and iPad
International news agency Reuters is adding to the "rumor and speculation" that the Hulu video service is coming to Xbox 360 and iPad. Sources claim Hulu is developing a subscription model to be rolled out on numerous devices over the next couple months, but it's unclear if the pay model will occur after the service is available on more devices. Although the report mentions "multiple devices," the only ones specifically mentioned are Microsoft's console and Apple's tablet. The Hulu subscription service will allegedly charge for "older episodes and other content," while new shows will continue being free. Apple didn't mention the service during its big iPhone 4 reveal this week, so perhaps Microsoft will make it official at its E3 press conference next week.
iPad apps: news and magazines
Apple's done a pretty good job convincing the old media that the iPad will save their industry, so we've taken our time trying out the launch titles in the App Store -- it's plain to see that different publishers have radically different ideas about how you're supposed to buy and consume their content, and everything from pricing to UI is currently up in the air. But while the apps we've seen so far are definitely intriguing, we haven't seen any silver bullets yet -- and to be perfectly honest, in several cases we wondered why an app was preferable to an iPad-optimized web site, or even (gasp) a paper subscription. Let's run down the launch lineup, shall we? Update: We added in NPR and Zinio by popular request, check 'em out below!
AT&T: iPad will be a "Wi-Fi driven product," 3G won't be an issue
If I ran AT&T, I would leave the subject of whether or not the network could handle the iPad's extra 3G traffic demands completely out of the picture, saying something like "we hope so," or "we'll wait and see on how popular it is." But Randall Stephenson, AT&T CEO, seems to be tempting fate. First, he promised that AT&T could handle any demand placed on its network by Apple's iPad, and now he's suggesting that it won't be that bad anyway. In a Reuters article, Stephenson suggests that the iPad will be a "Wi-Fi driven product," and that "there's not going to be a lot of people out there looking for another subscription." That may in fact be true, and while I'm almost willing to offer him the benefit of the doubt that the majority of browsing on the iPad will be done via Wi-Fi, I also doubt that those who elect to go with 3G won't be using the heck out of it. Maybe AT&T thinks the extra charges from the non-subscription usage will shore up the network, but it certainly sounds to me like Stephenson isn't too worried about AT&T's 3G networks, and from both our experiences with them on the iPhone and the expected popularity of the iPad, he probably should be. Then again, maybe he's got to say that it won't be a problem -- suggesting that AT&T might not be able to keep up with service demands probably isn't the best thing for the CEO of the company to do. But it sounds like AT&T is underestimating, publicly at least, the kind of 3G network traffic the iPad will bring.
Foxconn: Apple supplier in China roughs up reporter
"A Reuters employee who was investigating Apple's legendary secrecy visited Foxconn's walled city-like facility in Guanlan, China, and was reportedly roughed up by security." The reporter took a taxi to the facility and left the taxi to take photographs of the front gate and security checkpoint. When a guard shouted, the reporter hopped back in the taxi. The guard then blocked the taxi from leaving. This is where it gets hairy. The reporter stepped out of the cab and insisted that he was within his rights to take photographs because he was standing on a main road. The guard grabbed his arm as a second guard arrived and both attempted to drag the reporter into the facility. The reporter asked to be released and when the guards refused the reporter jerked free and began walking off. That's when one guard pursued and kicked the reporter in the leg. The other guard threatened to hit him again if he moved. Within a few minutes a Foxconn security car showed up but the reporter refused to get in. That's when the reporter called the police. The police arrived, the guards apologized, and the reporter left without filing charges. Then the policeman told the reporter, "You're free to do what you want, but this is Foxconn and they have a special status here. Please understand."
Reuters: Video games are for adults, too
Probably the best way to read the Reuters article entitled "New arsenal of shooter games target older players" is to imagine it being reported live by your local news station. You know, the same way local news stations tend to report the latest technological innovations -- Twitter, for example -- months or even years after their invention. The article is filled with inaccurate (and downright false) information, no doubt intended to thrill and mystify anyone that just upgraded to a 56k modem (congrats, by the way). One statement likely to jump out at anyone even remotely familiar with games: "The popularity of shooter games has been proven by Activision Blizzard's 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' which has raked in over $1 billion (617 million pounds) worldwide and counting." Sure, Modern Warfare 2 is a blockbuster success, but it's hardly the first multi-million selling shooter in the last decade. Another tidbit claims that MAG's 256-player multiplayer is "the largest multiplayer experience for a video game." We're assuming this statement excludes, oh, every MMO ever made. The best assertion in the piece, however, is that today's games are "not all for children," which is offered as though it's some kind of revelation. Honestly, there are no words for that one, so we'll just leave it to Captain Picard. [Via Aeropause]
Rumor: Tablet set for Q2 launch, manufacturers ramp up
More from the rumor mill: It appears that suppliers for Apple have already begun shipping touchscreen panels and will begin shipping aluminum casings for the much-anticipated-but-unannounced Apple "tablet" next month. This, according to Reuters, implies a Q2 product launch, right in line with what other predictions have been. Supplying the cases is AVY Precision Technology, and both TPK Solutions and Wintek Corp are supplying the touch screen panels. All companies are based out of Taiwan. TPK, through its German counterpart, Balda, was the initial supplier for the iPhone touch screen module. It's unknown whether Balda is currently involved or whether Apple went directly to TPK. The flow of information through Apple's suppliers has always been sparse, due to Apple's stranglehold on its own product message. Competition in the Taiwanese electronic component industry is fierce, keeping individual manufacturers toeing the line with Apple. But now that components are actually shipping, it's harder to hide how things are shaping up for the as-yet-unannounced product.
Second Life 2009: The year in review
It's been quite a year for Second Life, through 2009. This or that media outlet still pronounces it to be dead, though it is quite a bit less common than last year or the year before. After five years of obituaries with no sign that they're any more credible now than they were before, a number of routine nay-sayers have turned their attention elsewhere, writing obituaries for Facebook and Twitter. From a business perspective, Second Life seems to have had a good year. No major growth, but no major declines either. There's a minor decline in concurrent users over time, though it's hardly become a significant data point. Still, we're very much looking forward to the metrics and time-frames that Linden Lab will use in coming weeks to announce 'strong fourth quarter growth.'
Tapulous making a million a month off the App Store
Well, even with rampant piracy, review craziness, and that funky approval process, it's good to hear that someone can still make a truckload of cash on the App Store. According to Reuters, that someone is Tapulous, who is apparently making almost a million dollars a month thanks to twenty million downloads of their Tap Tap Revenge game. We recently talked to Andrew Lacy on the release of said game back in October, and he told us that the game's in-app purchase features (you get the game for cheap, and then have a chance to buy lots of extra music to play in packs and bundles) would be the "first big test of in-app commerce at a much grander scale." Looks like the test was a success. Of course, there's not too many details on how exactly that million dollars comes in -- I'm sure there was a flurry of sales right around the release of the app (as press was dropping), and you'd expect them to be a little higher during the holidays (sales of video games usually are, no matter what platform you're talking about). So it's not completely proven that this kind of income is necessarily sustainable. But still, it's good to hear from the folks at Tapulous that someone can release a game and roll in the cash from Apple's platform.
Reuters: RE5 sold 1.94M in US; Dead Space 2 in development for 2010
In a story about the scarier games (it's almost Halloween, don'tchaknow?), Reuters mentioned two things we thought would be good for this website we got going here. First, there's Capcom's Resident Evil 5, which Reuters reports has managed to sell 1.94 million copies in the US, according to NPD Group figures. The second part of the Reuters story talks about EA and its spookier titles for 2009: Left 4 Dead 2 and Dead Space: Extraction. While there isn't anything new on the former, in a discussion of the latter, Reuters revealed that Dead Space 2 is apparently planned for a 2010 release, which would seem to confirm what we've heard about the game so far.
Online gaming revenues soar in China
Online gaming revenues soared in China to 6.18 billion RMB (USD 906 million) in the second quarter of 2009, according to Reuters. They cite data from Analysys International, a research firm which states China's online game revenues for Q2 2009 were up 39.5 percent over last year. Among the top three earners (trailing behind Tencent Holdings and Shanda Games) was NetEase, the company which is presently the licensed operator of World of Warcraft in China. Reuters states that NetEase saw revenues of 780 million RMB (USD 114 million) in the second quarter of this year. This continual growth of online gaming in China has been a key issue with legislators in recent years. The Chinese media's coverage of internet and gaming addiction has intensified, and there is now increased government scrutiny of the virtual currencies and economies these games have given rise to. It's not just a China issue, as foreign companies are either operating online games in the country or have been eyeing this lucrative market. As we mentioned on Monday, the issue of regulating foreign game operation in China may be coming to a head with the current struggle between the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) and the Ministry of Culture. Whatever agreement is reached between these government agencies will determine the future of foreign online game operations in the country.[Via GamePolitics]
Microsoft has 'no plans' to purchase EA [update]
We have no idea where this meshugaas is coming from, but Reuters is reporting unsubstantiated rumors that Microsoft is interested in purchasing the second place third-party software publisher, Electronic Arts. Shares of EA are up today (around eight percent as of this writing) on the speculative purchase. Although we've yet to hear from EA, Microsoft was immediate with its response of: "We don't comment on rumors or speculation." If true, the acquisition would be ... um, wow. Update 2: Microsoft has followed up on its earlier statement, telling Joystiq: "Microsoft has no plans to purchase Electronic Arts." Update: Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter spoke to IndustryGamers and thinks the whole idea is rubbish. "[It makes] no sense at all," he says. "One platform exclusives would likely nullify NFL exclusivity, could kill off all sports and other licenses. EA's value on one platform is probably half its value to a multi-platform buyer (such as a media company)." A handful of other analysts weigh in, pouring even more water on the increasingly unlikely fire. We'll bring you more information as we hear it. [Via The Street; thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Blu-ray rental availability lagging in Japan
A Reuters blog posting from Japan reports that even with strong Blu-ray DVR sales, discs are still tough to find on rental shelves and suggests that Japanese makers have been reluctant to commit to the format so far. We're Redboxing and Netflixing it up on this side of the Pacific so the (likely lonely) inside of a video rental store even in the U.S. is foreign to us, but perhaps some of our overseas living or traveling readers can tell us how the HD battle is going from their perspective? http://www.flickr.com/photos/chronovore/ / CC BY 2.0
Former EA COO says EA is in 'investment mode,' focusing on digital distribution
Right before hitting the ol' dusty trail for Playdom, now ex-EA COO John Pleasants sat down with Reuters for an interview all about the future of EA. In it, he speaks to the multifaceted future of EA (especially with regards to business models), as well as the importance of EA's current "investor mode," saying the company will announce new deals with various social networking services "some time in the near future." Though we're not sure if the recent change in guard from Pleasants to Microsoft alum John Schappert will alter what the ex-COO said to Reuters, things like the recently announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online point to "not likely." This isn't exactly a dramatic change from statements that Pleasants has made in the past regarding the company's business strategy, so it remains to be seen whether or not Schappert will steer the EA ship in another direction or stay the course.[Via Edge]
Reuters closes Second Life bureau, opens mysterious island lair
The Reuters news service has just announced the closure of its bureau inside Second Life. The post announcing the closure is actually the first (and now only) activity on the secondlife.reuters.com site since September 30, when the only remaining reporter, Eric Krangel, left the site for another job. This news was posted under the account of Adam Pasick, who hasn't posted on the site since May 2008. We suppose that just having everyone leave wasn't an official shutdown of the site, just an effective one.However, that's not the end of Reuters' virtual machinations. The company may have just closed its virtual space, but another island owned by parent company Thomson Scientific is now being rebranded with Thomson Reuters logos. If only Reuters had someone on the scene to keep us updated about Reuters.[Via Massively]
Reuters opening new Second Life island?
Seriously. This gets weirder. Thomson Reuters, you may recall, yesterday announced the closure of their Second Life bureau, which actually closed up shop five months ago. Technically that was actually their second announcement, having already announced it elsewhere some months ago. Now the old island is still there, and nobody's turned the lights off yet, but what's really odd is that Thomson Reuters appears to be in the throes of preparing a new Thomson Reuters island in Linden Lab's virtual environment. Actually, the island was (until just recently) Thomson Scientific island. It's just recently been renamed to Thomson Reuters, and the Thomson Scientific trappings have been replaced throughout with Thomson Reuters branding and advertising -- though most of the Scientific division's structures and facilities are still there, like the drug laboratory.
Reuters late to announce Second Life bureau closure
The Thomson Reuters news service (still mostly colloquially known just as Reuters) has announced the closing of their Second Life bureau ... making it official, five months after its actual closure and making it perhaps the last news service to report on its own departure. Reuters did not replace it's last dedicated reporter (Eric Krangel) when he departed for Silicon Alley Insider back in October. In December, there was more fuss when Linden Lab charged the island fees to a credit card that it had twice promised that it had expunged from its billing system.
Will the economic downturn hurt WoW?
GamePolitcs had an interesting news brief about Michael Pachter, a financial analyst with Wedbush-Morgan, who contends that MMOs will not be impacted in the current economic downturn because the majority of people who play them are "addicts."The full interview with Pachter is available from Reuters.Besides the negative stereotypes and sweeping generalizations that come with statements like "people who play [MMOs] are addicts," Pachter does make a good point. He notes that "Losing their jobs makes them more likely to play because they have more time to play."I thought about this for a minute. If I were to lose my job here at WoW Insider, I would no doubt start looking for new employment almost immediately. I would scale back my expenses – probably get rid of cable TV (Hulu is my TV now anyways), I'd eat out less, I'd use the library more and Barnes & Noble less, and I would generally be more frugal with my spending.But I don't think I would cancel my WoW subscription.
Sony reveals restructuring plans to retaliate against massive losses
Sony has stated (via Reuters) that it expects losses from its entire corporation to equal around 260 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2009. According to GI.biz, the games division is expected to post increased losses of 30 billion yen ($337 million), though there's no mention of what that's an increase from.. This is in stark contrast to last fiscal year, where Sony posted a profit of 369.4 billion yen. Of course, the economic downturn is predominantly blamed. As a result Sony has revealed accelerated restructuring plans for the remainder of the fiscal year.According to Reuters Sony plans on cutting costs by 250 billion yen by the end of March by consolidating all TV design and production into a single factory, closing another. There will also be a 30% headcount reduction within the TV division. LCD TVs and batteries will be consolidated and managers and directors will receive a paycut. Overall it looks like the games division has remained largely unscathed. Hopefully the measures that are taken prove effective and Sony ends up posting a profit for FY 2009.
Reuters: Sony may post $1.1 billion loss
Reuters reports that Sony Corp "will likely" have an operating loss of approximately $1.1 billion this year, its first in 14 years. According to the wire service, some global economic slump that's going on right now has caused inventory for the company to stack up in all its divisions and prices to fall.It was already expected that Sony would be cutting thousands of jobs and closing manufacturing plants, but an analyst quoted in the report believes the company will now "further accelerate its restructuring." There's no word on how the PS3 and PSP divisions of the company will be affected. The silver lining in this for consumers is that the PS3 is rumored to receive another price drop in the next few months.
Linden Lab misuses Reuters employee credit card
What's worse than having a service provider slap a fat charge on your credit card that's not supposed to be there? It's having it happen a second time, after they've assured you that your credit-card details have been expunged from their records. News agency Thomson Reuters employee, Evan Maloney, is in just that position in his evocatively titled email to the public regapi list "Linden can't be trusted with your credit card information". Maloney's been slapped with the US$500 fee for the Reuters Second Life surname not once, but twice. Last time it took many weeks to sort out -- Maloney isn't eligible for customer support, not being a premium account -- so trying to reach someone at Linden Lab via the mailing list seems to be his primary support option for getting things fixed.
