Former general counsel Bruce Sewell explains what went wrong in the iBooks antitrust case. Back in 2013 a court found that Apple conspired with book publishers to raise the price of ebooks. This was in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which regulates competition among businesses. Mr. Sewell spoke to law students for a YouTube series called “Before You Take the LSAT.”
Apple got involved in a very ugly suit with the US government in the Southern District of New York that had to do with our release of the iBooks Store. I tried to chart a course that I thought was incredibly good for Apple, and would bear legal scrutiny.
Andrew interviewed Bradley Metrock, CEO of Score Publishing. He shares Andrew’s enthusiasm for Apple Books, and feels that Apple isn’t doing enough to make it the best platform for authors and readers.
The appeal is on whether or not the case can proceed, and if SCOTUS allows that, it could decide if companies are allowed to maintain walled gardens for app distribution.
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join Jeff Gamet to talk about Apple’s plan to get a stronger foothold in the ebook market, plus they look at what’s new in AirPlay 2.
David Sparks and Brett Terpstra launched 60 Mac Tips, Volume 2 on Tuesday. Part of the MacSparky Field Guide series, the new project offers more tips built on the release of Volume 1. They’ve released the book on iBooks with 60 screencasts and two hours of video, or you can get a video-only version on Vimeo. The video below includes an introduction and some free tip excerpts from the book. Subjects include: Siri for the Mac, using the keyboard, Spotlight, Automator, Safari, Mail, Apple Notes, Apple Photos, Terminal Tips, and third-party apps. It’s $19.99 on iBooks, and is available today. The Vimeo version can be purchased through the MacSparky site.
So my old friend Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus made a paperback version of Working Smarter for Mac Users, but he doesn’t want you to buy it. Weird, right? He has his reasons, though, and he made a video (with some cheesy help from yours truly) explaining why. Check it out. And if you haven’t already checked out Working Smarter for Mac Users, you should. I edited this book, and it’s amazeballs. It’s chock full of both Mac productivity tips and Dr. Mac’s techniques for overcoming procrastination. But unlike other productivity systems I’ve read, Bob’s focus is less about “do these things” than it is, “here are different things to try, and here’s how to think about them so you can pick what works for you.” It’s on Amazon ($19.99 Kindle, $29.99 Paperback), iBooks ($19.99), or direct from Bob (where’s a coupon code at the bottom of the page). In the meanwhile, enjoy Bob’s video!
Where’s Apple going with ARKit in iOS 11? Bryan and Jeff weigh the pros and cons of mobile-device AR versus goggle/glasses AR. They also talk about Bryan’s cockamamie idea for iBooks inside Apple Stores, and go deep on some listener email on HomePod and Apple Car.
Apple’s iBooks is offering 30 mystery novels for $3.99 or less, all of them past winners of the Edgar Awards. The Edgars—short for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards—are handed out by the Mystery Writers of America, an author’s guild. The sale is promoting eight 2017 Edgar winners (from $2.99 to $20.99) and 21 nominees (from $3.99 to $14.99), but the 30 past winners are all on sale. Authors in the sale catalog include Eliot Pattison, Otto Penzier, Allison Gaylin, S.J. Rozan, Melanie Rehak, James Patterson, and some fellow named Michael Crichton (A Case of Need), and many more.
