Recent Articles By Jeff Gamet [RSS]
Yahoo! Buys Tumblr in $1.1B Deal
Internet search company Yahoo! confirmed rumors on Monday with the announcement that it is purchasing the blogging site Tumblr in a US$1.1 billion deal. Yahoo! said Tumblr will continue to operate as an independent company and that it doesn't have any plans to "screw it up."
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Yahoo! says the deal is about enhancing user experiences for its users and Tumblr users. That may be the case, but it sure feels like a great way for Yahoo! to build a captive audience for advertising revenue tied to over 50 billion blog posts.
Sci-Fi Airshow
CW Signs Content Deal for Apple TV
CW has struck a deal with Apple to bring its shows to the Apple TV. The network already offers its content through iPhone and iPad apps the day after it airs on television, but with the new deal CW will offer content through a native Apple TV app.
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CW coming to Apple TV sure looks like a hint at what Apple wants for its hobby set top box: Cable TV content with a viewer contract. If this works well for CW other networks will likely follow, and viewers will have even more excuses to cut the cable cord.
MiniPlayer Gets Album Art View in iTunes Update
Apple released iTunes 11.0.3 on Thursday with several changes including a new album artwork view in the MiniPlayer. iTunes is Apple's media player and management app as well as the gateway to the company's music, video, movie, and iOS app stores.
Apple’s San Francisco Flagship Store Moving to Union Square
Apple is on the move, or at least its San Francisco flagship store is. The company is moving the retail store from its current Market Street location about two blocks away to Union Square.
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Apple's San Francisco flagship store is already nine years old and is so popular it feels cramped. The move to Union Square means more square footage and most likely a boost for traffic in surrounding stores, too. This looks like a win for everyone.
Apple’s Tim Cook to Testify in Senate Offshore Tax Hearing
Apple CEO Tim Cook has apparently been scheduled to testify before the United States Senate next Tuesday in an investigation into corporations moving funds into offshore accounts to reduce their tax liability. Mr. Cook will be speaking before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and while Apple has an estimated US$100 billion outside the United States, the hearing isn't being used to charge the company with any wrongdoing.
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It's a safe bet that Apple made sure it isn't violating any tax laws before it started moving money outside of the United States, so the Senate subcommittee is most likely looking for information it can use to push for changes that make it easier for the government to take a cut of that cash.
Apple’s 50 Billionth Download: Say the Same Thing
Apple wrapped up its latest iOS App Store promotion on Wednesday when the 50 billionth app was downloaded, and Thursday morning the company announced the app thathit the major milestone was the free word guessing game Say the Same Thing. According to the company, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users are downloading apps at more than 800 per second, or over 2 billion a month.
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It took five years to hit 50 billion App Store downloads. At the current download rate, Apple will hit 100 billion in about two years.
ACM 204: Google Hangouts, BlackBerry & Apple’s Competition
Apple's competitors have been busy, so this week Jeff and Bryan take a look at Google's just announced music streaming service, new online photo editing and storage features, updated Hangouts options, HTC's stumble with its Facebook Phone, and BlackBerry's decision to offer its Messenger service on the iPhone and Android devices.
Google Joins Streaming Music Market with All Access
Google tossed its hat into the online streaming music market on Wednesday with the introduction of its Google Play Music All Access at its annual Google I/O conference. The Internet search giant promised All Access will be available through smartphones and tablets as well as Web browsers, and includes features for searching music, building playlists, and streaming music like radio stations, and is squarely targeted at competing with services such as Pandora, Spotify, Rdio, and Rhapsody.
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Google may be the new kid in the streaming music game, but the company pulls a lot of weight. Pandora, Spotify, and every other online music subscription company's job just got a little harder, and if Apple is launching its own rumored service, the barrier for entry just got higher, too.
John F Braun Talks Subscription Software Licensing on NAMP
Mac Geek Gab cohost John F Braun joined the Not Another Mac Podcast team to talk about Adobe and Microsoft moving into software subscription models, and the glaring lack of iTunes on Windows 8.
