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Ask Massively: With thanks to the tipsters
Massively's tipsters are awesome. You've probably seen acknowledgements of their contributions in posts like these. Without them, we'd be limited to just the research our fairly small staff can drum up on a moment's notice. The tipsters broaden our view and bring us news from games that might otherwise have gone overlooked. We love you guys. We do get tips we won't or can't report on, though. And it's not because we hate you. I promise.
Apple's 'microslot antennas' could embed antennas into iPhone's casing
An interesting patent has been uncovered that shows Apple is working on a way for integrating a device's antenna directly into the body of the device. The patent "Microslot antennas for electronic devices" was first discovered by AppleInsider and granted to Apple on Tuesday. The patent describes a technique that allows WiFi and cellular antennas to be made only microns wide. Best of all, because the antennas are so narrow (in addition to being invisible to the naked eye) they eliminate extra space needed outside the device to fit current antennas and inside the device to support their connectors. This means potentially slimmer devices with no breaks or openings in the device's body to allow for signals to reach an internal antenna. In the image above you can see how large current antennas and their housing devices are. The new "microslot antennas" would be capable of supporting all cellular bands, as well as WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and more. And though the patent references their use in laptops, the obvious choice for the technology would be small, mobile devices like the iPhone. Like all mobile computing, even if a few internal millimeters can be freed up, that could mean a slimmer, sleeker device.
Job posting suggests that 802.11ac Gigabit WiFi coming to Apple products
Yesterday AppleBitch noted that Apple had posted a job opening looking for a System Test Engineer for WiFi. The company wants a candidate who's knowledgable with all 802.11 standards, including the new 802.11ac standard that triples current 802.11n speeds. The inclusion of an engineer versed in 802.11ac suggests that Apple is actively working with the standard. The original job posting read: System Test Engineering is looking for an experienced test engineer with excellent problem solving and communications skills. In this role, you will be testing, automating, leading, and working closely with the entire cross-functional team to ensure quality for Macintosh products. - Technical knowledge of WiFi (802.11a,b,g, ac) and Ethernet network environments However, after a few sites picked up the job posting yesterday, Apple apparently edited the listing to remove the last line (highlighted in bold above). There is, of course, no firm timeline that can be worked out from a single job posting, but it's possible that future Macs and iOS devices -- as well as Airport base stations -- could see 802.11ac updates this year.
Apple is not buying Waze
You know how TechCrunch reported a few days ago that Apple is buying Waze to beef up its Maps app? Yeah, that's not happening. And it never was. As several other sites did, we reported on TechCrunch's news, too. But to be fair, our Steve Sande warned readers: "Neither Apple nor Waze has said anything solid about a deal at this point, so like many 'news' items that we're hearing these days before CES and Macworld/iWorld, it's simply a rumor." If you missed the story, on January 2nd TechCrunch -- citing its own sources -- said that an Apple/Waze deal was in advanced negotiations. TC's Mike Butcher wrote: "Another source confirms that negotiations are advanced, but Waze wants $750M and Apple is willing to do $400M plus $100m in incentives. Waze had less than $1M in revenues last year (primarily from ads). Negotiations may take awhile." Yesterday, however, TC's MG Siegler wrote a follow up post saying the deal wasn't happening (again, citing TC's sources close to the situation). He went on to say that that doesn't mean talks were never taking place, however, and hinted that the news could have been due to someone trying to manipulate a deal: "What about deal manipulation? Couldn't this just be one interested party trying to drive down (or up) the price? Always possible, but that's why you get multiple sources." Then late last night, CNET came out and said that the news of any such deal was "completely fabricated." Citing "a source familiar with Apple's thinking" CNET reported that any claims Waze would be acquired by Apple were simply made up and their source went on to say that Apple had "no plans to acquire Waze, and discussions are currently not being held between the companies." So there you go folks. As far as anyone now knows, the news was complete BS. Move along.
Apple's iBookstore to hit Japan this year
Before Apple rolled out the iBookstore in Japan in 2010, it failed to negotiate the necessary contracts with Japan's biggest book publishers. As a result, the iBookstore in Japan was stocked predominately with free, public domain e-books. The only paid e-books in the store have been from very small publishers or self-published authors. That's set to change later this year, according to AllThingsD. Citing "sources with knowledge of the situation," AllThingsD follows up on an earlier report by Nekkie, which claims that books from major Japanese publishers will be on sale on the iBookstore later this month. Now, AllThingsD says a January launch date is "far too optimistic a date for launch." However, they claim that Apple's conversations with publishers Kodansha, Shogakukan and Kadokawa are "going well" and that the companies will have deals settled "soon." In October, Apple updated the iBooks app to support Japanese-language e-books.
Apple reportedly makes a deal with TSMC for A6X production
With absolutely no love lost between Apple and Samsung, it's being suggested that Apple will yank processor chip production from the South Korean tech giant. A report today in the Mac Observer, quoting from The Commercial Times translated by AFP says Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will become the major supplier of chips for Apple's mobile devices. That change could happen as early as the first quarter of this year. Apple designs its own processors but gives contracts to others to produce them. Given the swarm of lawsuits between Samsung and Apple, it seemed only a matter of time before Apple pulled the plug, and certainly saw no reason to award multi-million dollar contracts to a company Apple feels has ripped off many of its ideas. In August, Samsung was ordered by a US court to pay Apple US$1.05 billion in damages for copying the iPhone and iPad features in some Galaxy smartphones. Samsung is appealing the ruling. Apple and TSMC have declined to comment on the report.
Rumor: Blizzard's Titan is not a new IP and could be heading to consoles
What is Titan? All we know about it right now for sure is that it's being developed by Blizzard, and we've been told on occasion that the game is not a new installment of one of Blizzard's existing franchises. But that may not be the case. According to rumors collected by the fans over at Titan Focus, Titan may indeed be a spinoff of an existing IP and might even be aimed at the console market. The hints have been coming from a fan known in the community for being fairly reliable in his rumors, lending this some credibility, but it's still just a rumor at this point. If it's true, then we can expect the game to be tied to one of the existing Blizzard franchises, albeit not as a direct sequel. Considering how quiet the studio has been on the project for some time, we can only hope that the surfacing rumors are a sign we're getting closer to some hard information.
5 things I want to see from Apple in 2013
2012 was a pretty good year for Apple. It released two versions of the iPad; a totally new iPad mini; a completely redesigned iPhone and iPod touch, as well as iPod nanos; super-thin MacBook Pros with Retina displays; and an incredibly designed new iMac. The company also had a few low-points, namely Maps and some major reshuffling of its executive leadership. However, the end of the year is always a time to look forward, so here are five things I hope we see from Apple in 2013. Admittedly, most of these are relatively minor -- and all are software-based -- but Apple pretty much refreshed every major hardware product in 2012, so I don't expect to see many new designs next year. 1. A redesigned Apple TV interface inspired by iTunes 11 I'm kind of cheating on this one, because I've been told by a trusted source that Apple is already working on an iTunes 11-ish overhaul of the Apple TV interface. Nevertheless, this is something I had been hoping for since I saw the new iTunes 11 UI. Currently the Apple TV has an iOS Springboard homepage interface -- big buttons represent various channels on the Apple TV. While that works fine for the main menu, I'd like to see an improved graphical elements in the submenus. Most submenus now look pretty much like the old Front Row interface: lines of text that lead to more lists. Apple really hit a strong navigation note with iTunes 11's expanded view album/TV series art interface. When/if this does come to the Apple TV it will make navigating your libraries much simpler -- plus it will bring unity between iTunes on your computer and iTunes on your Apple TV. That's all the Apple TV is, essentially -- just another version of iTunes, with a ten-foot UI. A few bonus features for the Apple TV I would like to see: a BBC iPlayer channel and the ability to display the iTunes visualizer while playing music through your Apple TV. The flipping album art display is getting old. Unlike the iTunes 11-esque redesign, I don't have any info about whether or not these are in development. As for why a real Apple television isn't on my list -- I don't think we'll be seeing one in 2013 at all. Maybe in 2014. Maybe. 2. A new iWork for OS X and iOS The last major version of iWork for OS X came out on January 6, 2009. Yeah, in just about a week that will be four years ago. Sure, it's received some minor updates since then like iCloud support and Retina display support, but besides that Apple's office productivity suite has not been updated in four years. Most of us don't have computers that old. iWork for OS X needs improvements. Pages alone has fallen well behind the capabilities of what the latest version of Microsoft Word can do. In the four years since its last release I get more and more errors when importing Word documents into Pages. Pages doesn't even offer Document Map support yet -- a basic feature for anyone who deals with large manuscripts. Numbers and Keynote have fallen behind as well. The iOS version of iWork has received more love, but still its pretty useless if you use it with iCloud. Currently any time I open a more than basic Numbers, Pages, or Keynote document created in OS X on my iOS version of iWork the iOS version tells me it wants to remove any number of important elements. It then gives me a choice to remove these elements and open up the current document or remove the elements and open up a copy of the current document. Choosing either option makes the iCloud sync support useless. I may end up with a crippled original document; otherwise I get multiple copies of that document, where some instances have the elements I want and some are scaled down and have new edits, but lack all the elements of the original. Neither is optimal, and that's why iWork for iOS is virtually useless in most cases. Hopefully 2013 will see an updated iWork for OS X and a functioning version for iOS. 3. A new iLife for OS X There was a time not five years ago when iLife was a major selling point of Apple's. Now, however, as iOS devices are the most important component of Apple's business, it's not as important for the company to keep adding features to its flagship media suite to lure more switchers to the Mac. After all, iPhone and iPads are now the primary driving force behind luring switchers. The last version of iLife came out on October 20, 2010. That's more than two years ago. I'd love to see some of the advances from Final Cut Pro and Aperture (and other digital video and photo editing apps) make it into a new iLife. 4. The fall of skeuomophism in iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 After the Maps debacle, Tim Cook booted Scott Forstall, who was primarily responsible for leading the charge in Apple's mapping solution. With Forstall's exit the primary proponent of skeuomophism in iOS and OS X was gone. Now that Jony Ive is in charge of the look of both operating systems -- and it's rumored he hated the skeuomophic design of some of the apps -- here's hoping iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 see the skeuomophic design jettisoned from Calendar, Address Book, Reminders, Notes, and more. Apple's devices are elegant, and the software on them should look elegant too. 5. The Movie Trailers app for the rest of the world This isn't going to appeal to readers in the US, but for the rest of the world its baffling that Apple has yet to release the Movie Trailers iOS app outside of America. It's Apple's only app -- on any platform -- that is a US-only app. And there's no logic to this. Using Siri I can get movie showtimes on my iPhone and iPad in the UK, so I know Apple is capable of culling that information. Apple also offers its movie trailers website in multiple countries. So why limit its awesome Movie Trailer app to only America? It makes absolutely no sense and here's hoping I can check UK show-times on my app soon (I have the app through my US iTunes account) and that my fellow Brits and Apple users in other countries can soon download the app. Well, that's my hopes for what Apple brings in 2013. Let me know yours in the comments!
Sorry folks, book publishers don't know Apple's plans
I've been working on a book for the next version of iPhoto for a while now. I have some friends who have been working on a book for the next version of iWork since last August, too. Matter of fact, my iPhoto book has a publishing date of March 31, 2013. These books are being written for Pearson, the largest publisher in the world. I also have a book in the works about iOS 7 with another publisher. That is scheduled to be published on October 7, 2013. I know, it's going to be an exciting year for Apple software releases, right? Maybe a lot of you hope I'll leak what the big new features of the next version of iPhoto will include or how my friends are enjoying playing around with the beta of the soon-to-be new version of iWork '13 and iOS 7? I could probably sell those secrets for thousands of dollars (or maybe millions if I can get Samsung interested!) The only problem is that I, nor my friends, nor my publishers have any proof that these products are actually real. We've never seen a beta. We've never been told by Apple that these are going to be released. I'm writing this article because time and time again I see it reported that some tech site has found evidence of a book about an unreleased Apple hardware or software product has been prematurely listed on Amazon. The tech site takes this as proof and pretty soon other tech sites are reporting on this "evidence." The book has a release date and ISBN after all. It must be real. No. I can tell you with absolutely certainty that these prematurely leaked books are never signs of any upcoming Apple products. "But then how can you be writing a book on the next version of iPhoto," you might ask? The answer is, while I am writing a book on the next version of iPhoto (right now the the publisher and I are calling it iPhoto X), I'm actually writing a book on the current iPhoto '11. Then, when Apple actually unveils the next version of iPhoto, I'll spend 2-3 weeks learning all the new features, update the manuscript, and hopefully have it on store shelves within 4-5 weeks of the new version being released. This is what publishers of all consumer technology books do. Publishing is a very competitive world. Consumer tech books particularly, besides having a lot of competition, have a relatively short shelf life. A book on the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 is only sellable until the next iPhone and the next iOS. So it's to the publisher's advantage to get a book out on a piece of software or hardware as close to the actual release date of that product as possible. Since Apple never releases betas of their desktop apps, authors like me begin writing the books on the (hopefully) upcoming software so we can have the book as completed as possible when the new version does actually come out. Writing a tech book takes a lot of work from a lot of people -- not just the author. After I finish the first draft of a manuscript, my primary editor needs to look it over and suggest corrections and/or changes if necessary. Then the developmental editor has a go at it. Then the technical editor takes a look and does the same. After that I take another look, make any changes, and then it's back to my primary editor, developmental editor, and the technical editor again. If everyone is happy then the manuscript goes to the copy editor and finally back to me. That doesn't even include the art director who needs to set and proof the images in a book (and with a tech book you have a lot of images). If a publisher would wait to commission a tech book on a product until the day it was actually announced, that book wouldn't hit shelves for probably 5 to 6 months. That's a lot of lost sales. So it's very practical for publishers to do it the way they do: commission and write the book before any announcement, make sure that book is as good as it can be, and then update it when the new product actually comes out. This way benefits readers and stockholders alike as the readers are sure to get a completed, technically accurate, knowledgable book since the publisher and author can spend more time writing the new bits instead of rushing to get the whole book out quickly. The stockholders in the publisher are sure to get a steady stream of sellable books while the subject is still relevant. Of course, both I and my publisher are hedging our bets. A new iWork '12 didn't come out in 2012, so my friends writing that book have a great manuscript on iWork '09. But they can't do anything with it until they can update it with iWork's new features when the new version actually ships. That means the authors won't be making any royalties for a long while on a work that has been virtually completed. Another danger is that you write a book on the next version of a product based on its current iteration, but then the next version of the product turns out to be radically different. Then most of your work would have been for nothing, and you need to start all over. However, since this rarely happens (although it did from iMovie HD to iMovie '08) it's usually in the publisher's interest to bet a product won't be radically different because the extra five months of sales that you would need to sacrifice to wait for certainty would cost you a lot. Now about those Amazon leaks. In order to get a publishing contract finalized between an author and a publisher, among other things, you need a title, a release date, and an ISBN. Publishers usually plan their book release schedules a year in advance so they have a reasonable idea where their sales are going to come from. Once your contract is finalized, your as-yet-to-be-written book is then entered into the publisher's database. Occasionally these databases will be sent to Amazon or other distributors where the books will be listed. I'm sure by March you'll see my upcoming book on iOS 7 show up on some international Amazon site. It'll probably have an October publishing date. Again, this means nothing. My now titled iPhoto X book (last year it was titled iPhoto '12 -- and then that never actually shipped. Bummer.) will probably show up too. It'll even have a cover. I've seen it. Of course this cover is just a placeholder showing the current iPhoto so the art team can get as much of the book finished now as possible. But these dates especially are flexible and aren't there based on any input from Apple or knowledge about its plans. They're there for contractual and scheduling purposes only and can (and will, frequently) change. So don't get too excited from now on when you see books for unannounced Apple products "leaked" on Amazon. Sure, I guess it is possible (anything is, right?) that Apple decided to break with protocol and give some lucky author and publisher an advanced copy of some software so they could write a book on it. But you need to ask yourself, why would they do this? What's in it for Apple? Apple doesn't get a cut of books sales about their products (unless it's on the iBookstore -- but even cuts of fiction books go to Apple then). And as Apple's help info always goes live online when a new product ships, they don't need the help of third-parties educating customers the day a product goes live. So sorry to squelch the hopes of those of you who always get excited about these book leaks, but at the very least I hope this clarification will save some tech journalists unneeded keystrokes typing up a story that wasn't.
Sony rumored to be developing full-frame mirrorless camera, release could come in 2014
This September, Sony disrupted the point-and-shoot market with the announcement of a full-frame compact model -- the $2,800 Cyber-shot RX1. On the same day, the company shared news of its first full-frame HD video camera, the NEX-VG900, representing Sony's third imaging product line to pack the 35mm chip. Now, it looks like the Japanese electronics giant is fast approaching the industry's final frontier, with rumored plans to launch a full-frame mirrorless model in late 2013 or early 2014. Sony Alpha Rumors has reportedly confirmed the news with multiple sources, adding that the TBD model has reached the "final stage of development," and that a 24-megapixel and 30+ MP prototype are currently undergoing testing. The camera is expected to be slightly larger than the NEX-7, and should include a native E-mount, with A-mount lens compatibility (for full-frame shooting) to be offered as well. We've reached out to Sony for confirmation, but, considering that the rumored product is a year or so out, we don't expect a reply. Still, based on the company's recent announcements, a full-frame mirrorless ILC doesn't seem so far-fetched, and we can't think of a better manufacturer to take on such a project than Sony.
New York, Oregon vie for Apple's business
Business officials in Oregon and upstate New York are vying to bring "Project Azalea" to their own workers. Oregon Live suggests that Project Azalea is the code name for a factory that would fabricate semiconductors for Apple's iPhone and iPad. The Business Review of Albany, New York recently obtained documents which describe a 3.2-million-square-foot semiconductor factory that would employ at least 1,000 people. That's a nice chunk of work that any city would welcome in such tough times. It's believed that Oregon and upstate New York are competing to host Azalea's location. New York began pursuing similar contracts about 15 years ago, and secured GlobalFoundries Inc. in 2006, which employs 1,800 people. Of course, Oregon already has a stake in the chip industry with Intel. Good luck to all parties, and may the best location win.
Apple may be looking to Foursquare for data-sharing deal
One complaint often voiced by users of Apple's iOS Maps app is that it doesn't have a very good POI (point of interest) database. That issue may become a thing of the past, as Apple is apparently in early discussions with Foursquare Labs to provide local data about businesses and restaurants. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue has met with Foursquare execs over the last few weeks. Apple is reportedly talking with a number of companies that have captured POI information in order to provide more accurate and useful information in the Maps app. If you're unfamiliar with Foursquare, it was one of the first apps to allow users to "check in" at local businesses. As a result of all of those check-ins, Foursquare has built a huge database not only of locations, but of the relative popularity of those locations and of user-generated tips. Any deal between the two companies could not only help Apple fix some of the issues with the Maps app, but also provide a boost to Foursquare. The company's fortunes have fallen flat lately as competitors like Facebook add similar check-in functionality to their apps. [via MacRumors]
Square Enix confirms layoff rumors, denies any impact on MMO operation
It's an unfortunate reality that layoffs are somewhat common in the gaming industry, and more often than not that means that games get cancelled or shut down. This weekend, Massively has been inundated with rumors that Square Enix has become the latest studio to suffer that reality. Tipsters suggested the company had laid off several people from its office in LA, people whose termination might impact the game's online offerings such as Wakfu and the upcoming relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV. Only part of these rumors appears to be true. Senior Director of Public Relations Riley Brennan has told Massively that the layoffs did occur for restructuring purposes but that the workforce reduction will have no impact on the company's online titles, though we don't still don't know which titles or departments were affected. In order to ensure it is operating effectively, the Square Enix Los Angeles office has reduced its workforce. This was a difficult decision and we wish the best for those affected by these changes. The decision will not have any impact on the operations of MMO titles. Customers can expect those services to continue, including the upcoming launch of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. While we're certainly happy to hear that our games will continue to operate without incident, our best wishes go out to those affected by this round of layoffs. [Thanks as always to our anonymous tipsters!]
iTunes Music Store finally coming to Russia tomorrow?
While the iTunes Music Store has been in many countries for a long time, it hasn't been available in Russia. It's beginning to look as if Russia may finally get its own iTunes Music Store as soon as tomorrow, according to a post on our sister site TechCrunch. TechCrunch's Ingrid Lunden reports that the site was forwarded an email in Russian that notes that an iTunes event is scheduled for the evening of December 4, that it will be a "musical evening," and that it's an invitation-only event held at the GUM shopping center on Red Square in Moscow. While Apple hasn't responded to TC's request for more info, it's about time the iTunes Store opened in Russia. It's Europe's largest Internet market with 53 million current users and a monthly growth rate of about 14 percent. Several companies are already offering digital music in Russia, including Yandex and Opera. As Lunden points out, providing iTunes music in Russia could help sales of iOS devices, which are not very popular in the country. And since the smartphone market is expected to jump from a penetration of 15.4 percent earlier this year to over 60 percent by the end of 2014, it's a perfect time for Apple to break into the market in a big way. The iPhone 5 is expected to hit Russia this month between December 14 and 21, which will provide another good reason for Russians to embrace the iTMS.
New iMacs not delayed after all
All of the iMac fans who were dismayed by the thought of not having a new 21.5-inch or 27-inch skinny iMac under the Christmas tree this year can rejoice -- according to sources close to 9to5Mac, the smaller iMacs are already being shipped to distribution points around the US and the big-screen model is on track for December delivery. The report was corroborated by AllThingsD's John Paczkowski, who received word from his sources that the newly redesigned all-in-one Macs will be right on schedule. At this point, however, Apple's iMac page still isn't taking pre-orders for the slimmed-down desktop. As soon as that page begins taking orders, those in the market for a new iMac should jump on the chance, as supplies of the new devices are expected to be constrained.
New iMacs rumored to be delayed until next year
A rumor from French website MacBidouille claims Apple's new iMac models won't start shipping until early 2013. Apple has allegedly run into manufacturing problems with the all-in-one Mac and won't meet its target shipping dates of November for the 21-inch model and December for the 27-inch model. Tim Cook hinted at these production problems during Apple's recent earnings conference call when he said that supplies of the new iMac "will be constrained for the full quarter in a significant way." MacBidouille suggests manufacturing is slowed because of the complex welding required for the iMac's extremely thin aluminum frame. The new iMac is significantly thinner than previous iMac models and features a new laminated display technology that eliminates most screen glare. [Via MacRumors]
New OS X 10.9 appears in server logs
You should take this with the requisite grain of salt, because it's not all that groundbreaking. AppleInsider notes that several references to Apple computers running OS X 10.9 have appeared on its server logs, suggesting that someone visited the site while using an unreleased version of Apple's operating system. True, this type of data can be faked, and it's not much of a surprise to hear that Apple's working on a new version of OS X anyway. Of course Apple will update OS X at some point. But at the same time, server log references like this are often our first indication that something new is on the way, so you can at least store in the back of your mind that a reference to OS X 10.9 may have been spotted in the wild. Feel free to use that thought to fuel excitement through the long winter months. What should we do while waiting for more official information? Why, figure out what Apple should name the new version, of course.
Apple's Bob Mansfield: influenced to stay by Scott Forstall's departure?
In the latest episode of the soap opera known as "Apple: As The Revolving Door Turns", we saw Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield being persuaded somehow to stay on with the company for at least another two years while former iOS software VP Scott Forstall was quietly ushered out the door. Now AllThingsD is positing that apparently Mansfield stayed on because he knew that Forstall would be leaving. AllThingsD's John Paczkowski notes that a source close to Apple told the site that "the timing of Bob's return is not coincidental." Mansfield apparently disliked Forstall's confrontational style and avoided him at all costs. A Bloomberg post from last year quoted former Apple software engineer Mike Lee as referring to Forstall as "Apple's chief a-hole" as a compliment. That same post pointed out that other executives, including Mansfield and Industrial Design Senior VP Jony Ive, would not attend meetings with Forstall unless Tim Cook was present. Forstall was, according to the year-old Bloomberg post, "a striver who was better at managing up than down -- that is, making sure his accomplishments were noticed first, and blaming others for mistakes." The iOS 6 Maps debacle appears to have been one mistake too many for Apple CEO Tim Cook to ignore, and served as an easy way to show Forstall the door. In retrospect, the year-old Bloomberg post appears to have been a roadmap for the reorganization that occurred this week.
Nikkei, Reuters claim Panasonic may quit European cellphones after its second bruising
Once bitten, twice shy. Panasonic backed out of the European cellphone market in 2005 and gave it a second chance with its Eluga smartphone this spring, but both Nikkei and Reuters hear that the company is already considering its second withdrawal. A tough economy and a presently successful cost-cutting initiative (not to mention an uninspiring product, if we're honest) could have Panasonic exiting Europe before its fiscal year winds down at the end of March. Of the two as yet unconfirmed sources, Nikkei is going even further -- it believes that Panasonic is considering either a partnership to justify its Japanese business or else waving goodbye to cellphones altogether. Nothing's certain until Panasonic says so. If there's any truth to the story, though, we could see one more casualty in a rapidly thinning smartphone market.
Warner Bros. to ditch 28-day release delay for rental stores?
Warner Bros. may have doubled its 28-day embargo on new releases for kiosk operators (even if they side-step it), but endangered bricks-and-mortar rental stores could be treated to the exact opposite. A rumor coming from Home Media Magazine's unnamed sources suggests the WB is going to ditch the embargo for these locations altogether, starting on October 30th. We have no idea why this break would be offered to the relic stores, although we doubt they care if it gets a few more bodies through the door. Warner Bros. has a recent habit of quiet implementation, but just to be sure, we've reached out for confirmation and will update you if-and-when we hear more.
