Wall Street Journal
Latest
WSJ: Google 'agonizing' over user privacy, 'vision document' suggests selling data
It was just last week that the Wall Street Journal reported Microsoft's decision to limit private browsing in IE8 as part of its ongoing series on online privacy, and today the focus is on Google, which is said be "agonizing" over the balance between user privacy and advertising opportunities. It's a long piece that you should read in full, but essentially the WSJ claims that Larry Page and Sergey Brin have gone from strictly forbidding any efforts to track users online to a more subtle interpretation of their famous "don't be evil" motto which allows them to leverage user data and sell finely targeted ads without "exploiting customers." According to the WSJ, the change in attitude came with the rise of upstart ad firms that lacked Google's scruples and the search giant's purchase of DoubleClick, which led to Google's first use of cookies. What's more, once at Google, former DoubleClick exec Aitan Weinberg produced a seven-page "vision document" that outlined several strategies to profit from user data, ranging from building a "trading platform" for user data to allowing users to pay directly and get rid of ads all together. (Google says the document was for "brainstorming" and that some of the proposals are "complete non-starters.") The WSJ also says Google's working hard on that rumored social networking service to go head-to-head with Facebook, complete with a "like" button it can put across the web to build an even better profile of your likes and dislikes, and that the company is considering mixing user data from across services like Gmail and Google Checkout to make those profiles even deeper, all while trying to balance privacy, security, and legal interests. This balance appears to be causing significant tension between everyone at Google, Larry and Sergey included: the WSJ says the two founders have had shouting matches over things like selling "interest-based" ads, and that Sergey has been more reluctant than Larry to take advantage of user data. Like we said, it's a good read, so hit the source link and get to it.
Wall Street Journal examines SOE's and Turbine's switch to free-to-play
The growing trend toward the free-to-play business model in the MMO industry has caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal. The feature story in the paper's weekly Digital Media section is entitled "First, Give Away the Game," and focuses heavily on some of the recent free-to-play announcements from high-profile MMO developers. Warner Brothers President Martin Tremblay spoke to the WSJ regarding DDO's dramatic turnaround last year as well. "The game was almost dead," said Tremblay, saying that DDO is now "very healthy" financially, thanks to the switch to free-to-play. He stated that the change was "a big reason" for the decision to acquire Turbine, and the reason Warner Brothers plans to follow the business model for other games. "This is the way we believe customers want to consume games in the future." It's an interesting look at the growth of microtransactions and the F2P model in the Western market. The full story can be read on the Wall Street Journal's Digital Network.
Apple: No early knowledge of iPhone 4 antenna issues
What a roller-coaster day! The Wall Street Journal is now quoting Apple throwing cold water directly on today's Bloomberg story. Bloomberg had reported that an Apple engineer had warned company execs about the problems with the new iPhone 4 antenna design early in the development process for the phone. The Journal quotes an Apple spokesperson as saying: "We challenge Bloomberg BusinessWeek to produce anything beyond rumors to back this up. It's simply not true." The Journal also cites sources as saying there will be no recall of the iPhone 4 announced at the press event tomorrow. It's anyone's guess as to what Apple will say tomorrow. The company may say there is a problem and continue to offer penalty-free refunds, it may give free bumpers to insulate the external antenna to customers who want them, or it may say everything is fine. We can't wait. [Hat tip to Loop Insight & Business Insider]
Bobby Kotick muses about a Call of Duty MMO
Activision Blizzard owns one of the most profitable gaming franchises in the world with Call of Duty, and Bobby Kotick knows it. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Kotick was open about his ambitions with the series, saying that he wishes that they would create an online subscriber version. It's not a new sentiment from Kotick, as he's been saying as such for years, although it certainly is pretty straight-forward. Kotick threw a few logs onto the fire of speculation: "I would have Call of Duty be an online subscription service tomorrow. I think our audiences are clamouring for it. If you look at what they're playing on Xbox Live today, we've had 1.7 billion hours of multiplayer play on Live. I think we could do a lot more to really satisfy the interests of the customers. I think we could create so many things, and make the game even more fun to play." No stranger to controversial statements, it's hard to tell if Activision Blizzard's CEO was just shooting the breeze or hinting at an upcoming title from the publisher. In any case, a Call of Duty MMO would be major news indeed if it happened, so we'll be sure to keep our eyes on Activision -- and our ears on Kotick for any possible confirmation. [Via Eurogamer]
Murdoch reveals News Corp iPad app sales numbers at D8
Steve Jobs wasn't the only CEO on stage at the D8 conference this week -- Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp, also took the stage this week, and shared some sales figures for his company's iPad news apps. The Financial Times' app is the biggest winner, with 130,000 downloads, although that number is probably so high because the app itself is free. The Guardian Photography app (not part of News Corp, but still a print publication), also free with a sponsorship, has 90,000 downloads, and the Wall Street Journal app (free to subscribers) has 10,000 downloads. Internationally, the numbers are a little lower, though the iPad only went on sale overseas last week. The Times iPad edition has only sold 5,000 copies, and The Australian's app has sold 4,500. Murdoch is just as optimistic about Steve Jobs, though, in believing that where there are iPads, people will want material to read on them. "After all," he told the crowd, "what's an iPod without music? A high-definition television without popular shows? An e-reader without news or books?" And he's got a point, but the question will be if there are enough iPad owners out there who are willing to pay for content for print publishers to make their business profitable again.
Japan gripped by iPad frenzy
It's not easy to get gadget-friendly Japanese customers especially enthused about a new gizmo. Yet, as the Wall Street Journal points out, anticipation for the iPad's release in the land of the rising sun is high. As customers line up outside a Ginza Apple Store days in advance, more than a half-dozen Japanese business and technology magazines feature the iPad on their cover. What accounts for the frenzy? Daisuke Wakabayashi, writing for the Journal, names several factors. First is the Japanese electronics industry itself. Facing infiltration by new and less expensive gadgets from the likes of Apple and Amazon, as well as the large bank roll of South Korean competitor Samsung Electronics Co., many Japanese companies have focused on improving existing devices, and less so on creating something new, so innovation like the iPad makes a big splash. Another factor, Wakabayashi notes, is the sheer pleasure of owning a name-brand device. In Japan (and so many other parts of the world), Apple products are fun to own and show off. College student Kazuto Ishimura told the Journal, "Japanese products are very capable and powerful, but they don't have the same charm as ones made by Apple." Note that Ishimura conducted his interview while waiting in line outside that Ginza Apple Store. There's more to Wakabayashi's article, and we suggest reading the whole thing. In the meantime, we anticipate sales reports from Japan and elsewhere as the iPad goes on sale internationally throughout the day today. [Via MacDailyNews]
WSJ: GameCrazy officially shuttered in US alongside Hollywood Video
GameCrazy's parent company Movie Gallery Inc. is said to be shuttering the approximately 250 remaining GC stores across the United States, alongside 2,165 Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video outlets. Roughly 19,000 people are estimated to be out of work due to the closures, according to a Wall Street Journal report, and the company is said to be filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. People "familiar with the matter" told the WSJ that the chain considered "reorganizing around smaller core stores" before filing for bankruptcy, but the idea "never got any traction." It also appears that the 184 or so Canadian outlets will remain unaffected, but we've heard nothing official yet. Reportedly, the US stores will begin liquidation "over the next couple of months" until inventories run dry, mirroring the murmurs we heard this past weekend. While the reality that GameCrazy is suffering this fate certainly appears likely (our tips box seems to corroborate the information), we should note that Movie Gallery Inc. has yet to issue any formal statement regarding the allegations. Our calls to GameCrazy corporate have similarly gone unanswered. If you are a GameCrazy, Hollywood Video, or Movie Gallery employee with any form of official documentation on this subject, we'd love to hear from you. [Via GameSpot]
Verizon CEO: We want the iPhone
Almost since the day it was revealed to the public, American customers have been clamoring for the iPhone to be made available on Verizon's network. Many potential iPhone buyers have cited their distaste for AT&T as their primary reason for not jumping on the iPhone train, and the chant has been relentless for almost three years now: "We want the iPhone on Verizon!" One more voice has joined that chorus: the CEO of Verizon, Ivan Seidenberg, told Apple outright that Verizon wants to carry the iPhone on its network. Nothing coy about it: if Apple will build it, Verizon will come. This is a complete 180 from Verizon's stance in 2005, when Verizon rejected Apple's iPhone offer, saying they couldn't come to a deal that was "mutually beneficial." Seidenberg reportedly brought up his overtures to Apple following the recent Wall Street Journal report on the forthcoming Verizon iPhone. This could mean a couple of things: either there's no Verizon deal yet and the Journal's report was premature speculation, or there is a deal in progress, but the final details have yet to be hammered out. Verizon has very likely spent the past three years kicking itself over its rejection of the iPhone three years ago. Here's hoping a Verizon-Apple deal does eventually come to fruition. It would be a big win for both companies, but more importantly, it would be an even bigger win for US customers. [Via MacRumors]
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!
WSJ iPad subscription sets you back $17.29 per month
You know that free Wall Street Journal iPad app that was introduced yesterday? If you want anything more than the top articles and basic market data you'll need to fork out US$17.29 per month. That's what an iPad WSJ subscription will cost you. That's $3.99 per week. Engadget is quick to point out that a subscription to both the print and online versions of the WSJ will only run you $2.69 a week. The Wall Street Journal is offering full access to the WSJ iPad app for free "for a limited time" to current subscribers of the print and online editions so technically, you can save $6 to $9 a month and get access to the full iPad app if you just sign up for their paper. It's that "for a limited time" that's iffy though. Does that mean one month or six? We all know Murdoch loves the iPad, but man Rupert, you're entering a whole new category of digital distribution. Why price people out of wanting to try out the whole experience?
WSJ iPad subscription officially $17.29 per month -- is Murdoch insane?
So we now have the official price for the WSJ iPad app subscription: $3.99 per week with a monthly credit card charge of $17.29. For that you get subscriber-only content areas such as Business and Markets with access to a 7 day archive that can be downloaded and read at any time. It also offers personalization features and the ability to save sections and articles for later reading. And hey, it's actually a bit less than the rumored $17.99 rate. Without the subscription, the free WSJ iPad app is limited to top articles and market data. Here's the catch: a subscription to both the print and online versions of the Wall Street Journal will currently set you back just $2.69 per week (plus 2 weeks free) for a monthly bill of $11.67... eleven dollars and sixty seven cents. Granted the WSJ claims that the 80% discount is a limited time offer but these newsstand discounts are always available in some form. Greed or insanity? Either way, a pricing model like this won't save print. Update: Fine print says, "Already a WSJ subscriber? Get full access to the iPad™ app for a limited time." That offers some hope to existing subscribers but doesn't make the prospect of subscribing any more attractive to new customers. Unless of course the whole iPad rate can be circumvented by obtaining a login ID and password via the cheaper online-only rate (currently set for $1.99/wk or $8.62/mth). Who's going to try this on Saturday?
Twenty iPad apps you'll want to see
The App Store is live and running with iPad apps right now -- you can download and buy any iPad apps you want, even though most of them are technically "embargoed" until tomorrow morning. There's a lot of amazing stuff out there, but we'll try to focus you as best we can. Here's twenty apps that you won't want to miss in the App Store -- even if you don't buy them for iPad this weekend, you should at least check out the info and screenshots that are now available. USA Today for iPad is free and is probably the quickest and easiest virtual newspaper experience on the iPad. The Wall Street Journal app is also free, as is the NYT Editor's Choice. Flight Control HD and Plants vs. Zombies HD are two of the most-awaited iPad games. Evernote has released their iPad app. MLB's At Bat 2010 has a new edition, so you'll unfortunately have to re-buy it on the iPad even if you've already bought it on the iPhone. Words with Friends HD and Fieldrunners for iPad are available right now. 2K Games has released Civilization Revolution on the iPad, the more accessible version of Sid Meier's classic turn-based strategy game. Here's the Comic Zeal comic reader app we covered earlier this week, and there's also an official Marvel comics app in the store. Twitterific for iPad is on the store and looking great. Aurora Feint 3 is the newest iPad version of one of the iPhone's biggest titles. CastleCraft is a new strategy freemium MMO from Freeverse and Ngmoco. StumbleUpon will allow you to browse the crowdsourced best of the Web from your couch. iMDb has released a full iPad app of their movie database. Minigore HD brings another big iPhone title to the bigger screen. StarWalk for iPad recreates the popular astronomy app and TUAW favorite. And Let's Golf! HD brings a quality handheld golfing experience to the "HD" screen. There's more -- much more, and obviously we'll be seeing lots and lots of new titles in the very exciting days to come. But the magical revolution that we've been hearing about for months has begun. When the iPad releases on Saturday, there'll be no shortage of great software to run and browse and play with on it. Update: Netflix's app is live as well, as is NetNewsWire for iPad, Galcon Fusion, Articles, and Twittelator Pad. Too many good apps!
Apple tweaking iPhone to work better on AT&T's network
Powerpage.org cites a Wall Street Journal article reporting that Apple has worked with AT&T to "rejigger" how the iPhone works with AT&T's towers, resulting in a reduced load for some tasks. It was not clear what changes were made, but apparently a "crash course in wireless technology" allowed them to figure out how the iPhone can get along better with AT&T. Such news indicates the lengths that Apple is willing to go to in order to be a good partner with AT&T. While few people are singing AT&T's praises, apparently there is an effort within the company to improve the network in large cities to reduce the number of dropped calls. According to Powerpage, "A random performance test released in February found that AT&T's 3G network speeds had improved by 84%." The problem is that AT&T's 3G speed has never been the main issue. AT&T is, and has been, very happy to compare themselves to Verizon when it comes to 3G speed. When it comes to reliability (i.e. how well you can actually use that speed) and availability, however, AT&T's 3G has consistently come up short. Not to mention that whole tethering issue that AT&T hasn't mentioned in several months, despite having originally promised it would be available by the end of 2009. If Apple is working on a CDMA/Verizon-compatible iPhone, AT&T's efforts are probably going to be too little, too late. After almost three years of consistently disappointing iPhone users with poor 3G availability, dropped calls, late availability of MMS, and even later availability of tethering (assuming it is ever available), iPhone owners have little reason to stay with the company.
WSJ: New iPhone coming this summer, and may be coming to Verizon
Get ready for the "VeriPhone." The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will be releasing a new iPhone this summer, and "appears to be working" on a model for Verizon Wireless. They claim it's a CDMA-based iPhone, and that mass production is slated to begin in September, but it's unclear when Apple will make the model available. The report notes that one Pegatron Technology Corp. (no relation to Deceptacon Megatron) is contracted to build the model. There have been plenty of rumors already about a Verizon compatible iPhone, but this is the most credible report that we've seen, saying it's happening sometime this year. Since its launch, the iPhone has seen two major refreshes, both occurring during the early summer period, and it appears that Apple will be keeping with this trend. However, if true, the release of a Verizon compatible iPhone marks a significant break from the single-carrier, AT&T life that the iPhone has lived in the U.S. since its launch. In addition, a Verizon-compatible model opens the door for Apple to appeal to an audience that, whether due to a coverage, rate plan or any other issue, did not find the iPhone compelling enough to switch to AT&T. As always, we'll have to wait and see -- the WSJ says a product announcement will take place in "June or July" as usual.
WSJ: Apple 'developing new iPhone,' plus another for Verizon (update: iPhone HD, front-facing camera?)
You heard right, folks -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently "developing a new iPhone to debut this summer," and as if that weren't enough, it's also "working on another model for US mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless." As of this moment, details about the break are nowhere to be found, but it's not like either tidbit is shocking. This summer will mark the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 3GS, and if the Cupertino-based company keeps with its historical refresh pattern, we're just a few months out from seeing the latest and greatest iPhone. There's also been no shortage of iPhone-to-Verizon rumors over the years, with the latest of 'em happening during the run-up to the iPad's launch. Update: We're now learning that the "next iPhone is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry," which just so happens to be the same outfit responsible for crafting all prior iPhones. That's according to "people briefed on the matter" and sourced by the WSJ. It's also stated that the world's first CDMA iPhone will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology, which we caught just last week dabbling in some of NVIDIA's Tegra 2-based wares. If all goes well, Pegatron could begin mass production of the CDMA iPhone (exact model not disclosed) this September, so it's hard to say if Sprint or Verizon would have access before the all-too-lucrative holiday season. As for quotes on the matter? Most everyone involved wouldn't say a word, but an AT&T spokesman did utter the following: "There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven't seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur." On a week that couldn't possibly get any bigger for Apple, that's exactly what just happened. Everyone suspected that a fourth-generation iPhone was in the works, but having an outlet like the WSJ confirm it just makes the summer that much harder to wait for. There's also the possibility that 2010 will be the final year that AT&T retains its death-grip on the iPhone, but by the sound of this report, it still seems as if the nation's largest GSM carrier may nab exclusive rights on the latest iPhone. We also can't help but wonder about the future of a true 4G iPhone -- will Sprint manage to grab a WiMAX-enabled version? Will Verizon get its grubby paws on an LTE model? We figured only Jobs would know, but now... there might just be someone else out there willing to spill the beans. Update 2: Soon after the news broke, we were informed that the next-generation iPhone would be announced on June 22nd (a Tuesday, naturally) and would be dubbed the iPhone HD (a name that has been tossed around before). That certainly makes sense given that Apple almost certainly has to up the pixel count in order to rival the EVO 4G, HD2 and all of those other high-res handsets, but we're still reserving judgment until we see that fateful media invite hit our inbox. Update 3: John Gruber's just weighed in with some more tidbits, in his characteristically polite way. Gruber says the next model will have an A4-class SoC, a 960 x 640 display, a front-facing camera, and that iPhone OS 4.0 will enable third-party multitasking. A pretty safe set of predictions, in all, but Gruber's done pretty well in the past, so we'll just have to wait and see. [Thanks, Chris]
WSJ on the iPad will be $17.99 a month
Engadget reports that "people familiar with the matter" have stated The Wall Street Journal will be available on the iPad for a $17.99 a month subscription fee. The source comes from the Journal itself, so it's a pretty good bet this is accurate info. Engadget notes that the iPad subscription price is about $11 a month less than the subscription fee for the paper version of the Journal, but the iPad version of the Journal will still be ad-supported via advertisers like Coca-Cola and FedEx. A few other magazines are leaking pricing info, as well. Esquire plans to offer an ad-free, downloadable format of its April issue for $2.99, $2 less than the paper version's price. Interestingly, the magazine will also be including five free music videos with the issue. Although the electronic version of the Journal is well below the price of the newspaper version, $18 a month still seems pretty steep to me. Then again, I've spent the past ten years getting almost all of my news for free online, so I'm probably not their target demographic anyway. At least The Wall Street Journal has a better pricing scheme for its electronic content than some other content providers; Men's Health is reportedly going to charge the same $4.99 price for an iPad issue as they charge for the print version. If Men's Health offered the iPad version of their issues ad-free for the same price that would be one thing, but its iPad version is both ad-supported and the same price as newsstand issues. This seems like a pretty boneheaded move on their part, but sadly, it's one that I predict many other publishers will make over the coming months until they notice how dismal their sales are. [Via Engadget]
WSJ on iPad for $17.99 a month, magazines to be at or near newsstand prices?
The Wall Street Journal is running a piece that focuses on ad sales for the iPad. Pretty boring stuff except for a few nuggets related to the actual content we crave. Rupert Murdoch already confirmed that his monument to main stream media was coming to the iPad. Hell, they've even been treated to a rare, in-house device to assist with the development of the iPad version of the Wall Street Journal. Now it's quoting "a person familiar with the matter" (wink) who says that The Journal plans to charge subscribers $17.99 per month for iPad subscriptions -- for comparison, the print version of the WSJ costs $349 for 52 weeks or about $29 per month. Not bad, but you can't roll up an iPad to swat the dog. Conversely, magazines appear set to offer weekly or monthly editions out of the gate, not annual subscriptions. Sources told the WSJ that the April issue of Hearst's Esquire magazine (no stranger to new media) will arrive in downloadable format without advertisements for $2.99, $2 less than the newsstand price, and will include five music videos (each containing the phrase "somewhere in Mississippi," oddly enough) to take advantage of the device's multimedia capabilities. On the other hand, a full iPad issue of Men's Health with match the glossy's $4.99 price. Of course, as we heard earlier, publishers will be experimenting with advertising and pricing models to see what works so expect things to be fluid for quite some time after the April 3rd launch.
WSJ: Hundreds of thousands of iPads sold, Apple scrambling for content deals
The Wall Street Journal has written that Apple is scrambling to get everything ready for the iPad's release on April 3rd -- not only has it already "sold hundreds of thousands of the device, [according to] people familiar with the matter," but Apple is also working hard to try and "nail down" several big content deals with television companies, having put their original drive for print media on hold for the moment. Not really news in and of itself, as almost everyone expects content to be a big part of the iPad's revenue, but it is a little surprising to hear that Apple is still fighting to get deals done. The WSJ says that some content owners feel that the iPad is a threat to their current revenue streams -- the same old story that we've always heard about iTunes content delivery. Of course, none of this comes directly from Apple, but they obviously wouldn't confirm if they didn't have all of the deals they wanted squared away before the device's release. The shift from print to multimedia may have something to do with it -- the iPad was originally introduced, along with iBooks, as a reader device, with the additional bonus of being able to play movies. But now that the ad has been premiered on the Oscars and a little more buzz has grown up around the multimedia possibilities, Apple may be more pressured to deliver on release day. We'll have to see -- I doubt that all of those iPad preorders will want to return their device if they can't watch all of their favorite shows on it, but obviously Apple wants to have the biggest library they can at launch.
WSJ: Apple still 'racing' to complete iPad content deals before launch
The iPad launch may finally be right around the corner, but it looks like Apple might still have some considerable work cut out for itself before the big day. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is still negotiating with various media companies in an effort to drop the price on TV shows offered on the device, and it's even reportedly put some potential deals with newspaper, magazine and textbook publishers on the backburner as it focuses on other content. That word comes from the usual, unnamed "people with the matter," who go on to say that it's proven to be difficult to convince potential content partners of the advantages of working with Apple on the iPad versus the possible threats to their current sources of revenue. It's hardly all bad news for the magical device though, as some other people familiar with the matter say that Apple has already sold "hundreds of thousands" of iPads. For its part, Apple is naturally staying mum on both counts.
NPR and WSJ building 'Flash-free' pages for iPad, Apple quietly delays select iPad accessories
For awhile, we couldn't decide what we were more angry at: the fact that select devices wouldn't support Flash, or that Flash was simply too demanding on select devices. We still can't say with any degree of certainty which side of the fence we're on, but there's no question that Apple's refusal to play nice with Adobe on the iPhone, iPod touch and forthcoming iPad limits the abilities of those devices significantly. Curiously enough, it seems that Apple's importance in the mobile (and media delivery) realm is coercing select portals to develop Flash-free websites for those who drop by on an iDevice. Both the National Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal are furiously working on iPad-friendly websites, which will be devoid of Flash for at least the first few pages down. What's interesting is that we get the impression that this will soon become the rule rather than the exception, and it could be exactly what's needed to launch HTML5 into stardom and put these Flash or no Flash debates behind us. In related news, we're also seeing that a couple of iPad accessories won't actually be ready to ship when the device itself cuts loose on April 3rd. Yesterday, the iPad Keyboard Dock was listed with a "May" ship date, though today it has moved up to a marginally more palatable "Late April." The iPad 10W USB Power Adapter also carries a "May" date, while the iPad Case is slated for "Mid April" and that elusive camera connection kit is still nowhere to be found. But hey, at least you'll get your (overpriced) iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter and iPad dock by the first weekend of next month, right?
