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In an interesting move, Warner Brothers has released two movies as apps — including extras — semi-skirting the iTunes Store. The idea is to offer movies to customers who live in countries without movie sales via iTunes. Of course, Apple still gets the 30% cut of the in-app purchase cost.

Interestingly, this technique goes directly against one of the clauses in Apple’s current App Store guidelines, 2.21: “Apps that are simply a song or movie should be submitted to the iTunes store. Apps that are simply a book should be submitted to the iBookstore.” Apparently not all apps-as-movies are created equal.

Movies are distributed as in-app purchases via free universal iOS apps (one per film). As of this writing only two movies are available: The Dark Knight and Inception. Once you’ve made your choice, the app offers DVR-like controls and works over Wi-Fi and 3G. You’ll also find scene selection and extras like trivia. Fun, no?

Their prices are US$9.99 for streaming or $11.99 for purchase. Of course, movies are big, and at 1.2 GB The Dark Knight gobbles up a good amount of your device’s internal storage.

It looks like fun. Let us know what you think if you check it out.

[via 9to5Mac]

Warner Brothers sells movies as apps, skirts iTunes originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson must be eating some sour grapes since his company lost its exclusive hold on the US iPhone market. During a keynote speech at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Stephenson said that platform-specific app stores like the ones run by Apple and Google are “bad for consumers,” as they require a customer to purchase an app multiple times if they want to run it on different platforms.

In the words of Stephenson, “That’s not how our customers expect to experience this environment.” Oh really, Randall? I’d say that the more than 10 billion apps downloaded on the iOS platform alone would say that your customers are more than happy with the current app purchasing model.

What Stephenson would rather see are HTML5 and Web apps that are not platform-specific. Developers, in Stephenson’s perfect world, would write these apps instead of using native code for a single platform and then sell the apps through the newly-announced Wholesale Applications Community — which just happens to be an app store that will be run by carriers. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint are all partners in the WAC, and the CEOs of these companies are most likely losing sleep over the fact that they’re not getting a cut of the billions to be had in the app sales arena.

Non-native apps won’t be able to take advantage of device-specific hardware features, and most certainly will not be optimized for a platform. Instead, they’ll most likely be cookie-cutter apps that are targeted to the lowest common denominator in terms of hardware.

[via The Mac Observer]

AT&T CEO says App Store is bad for consumers originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The social music discovery service Rdio has gotten an iPhone facelift; the company’s app has a bunch of new features in version 1.0 (released today), including a key improvement for users who sync their music from Rdio down to their phones for offline access.

Much like Apple’s Ping social layer for iTunes, Rdio gives music recommendations and listings based on what your friends like to listen to — but it also gives you direct access to the music, letting you play it on the company’s website or on your mobile device.

Beyond the UI improvements in the new build (including a handy springboard for quick access to all the sections, and a persistent player at the bottom of the screen), the app now lets you select whether or not to sync music offline when on 3G connectivity, or only on WiFi. Pulling down multimegabytes of music tracks could easily crush a low-end data plan, so this will be a big help to some users.

The Rdio service was launched by two Skype founders (Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis) and is currently available only in the US and Canada. After a seven-day free trial period, the web-only service (which won’t let you play music offline using the app) is $4.99 monthly; the premium mobile-enabled service is $9.99 a month.

Continue reading Rdio music service iPhone app updated, gives better offline controls

Rdio music service iPhone app updated, gives better offline controls originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We reported last week on how a kid playing with the Smurfs’ Village iOS app racked up hundreds of dollars in charges, prompting a variety of responses regarding how Apple and parents should treat such apps. Now PocketGamer.biz is reporting that Apple has taken game publisher Capcom to task for making it so easy for kids to go on a Smurfberry-buying binge. The site also adds that Apple is looking into reducing the current 15-minute gap between purchases down to five — still plenty of time to do some serious damage, as a few commenters on our last post noted.

Capcom has written on the app’s description that the ability to make these sorts of purchases quickly is a function of the iOS software and is not within its control.

When you download and launch the app, there is a pop-up that warns about this concern. It flashes off within a few seconds, though, to prompt you to turn on push notification for the app, but the alert does return. The screen featuring Smurfberries also warns that they will cost real money.

We won’t know what Apple’s true stance will be regarding this until we see an official statement and/or iOS update, but as always, we urge parents to be as cautious as possible with these sorts of apps.

[via AppleInsider]

Well, that’s just Smurfy! Apple reportedly talks to Capcom about Smurfs’ Village originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I don’t know what the weather is like in your part of the world, but here in the Front Range of Colorado, it’s beautiful and expected to get into the 60s (degrees Fahrenheit) today. But rather than go outside and enjoy the great outdoors, I’ll be slaving over a hot computer today at 5 PM ET to bring you the best in weekly streaming video. Not that I’m complaining — TUAW TV Live is the highlight of my week!

Today on TUAW TV Live, it’s going to be all Mac, all the time. Well, maybe I’ll talk a wee bit about iPads, iPhones, accessories, and the like, but the main focus is everybody’s favorite computer — the Mac. There are some great new Mac apps I’ll be demo’ing, I’ll be expressing my deep love for my 11.6″ MacBook Air (the perfect blogger’s computer), and as always I’ll be responding to your chat topics and tweets.

The action starts at 5 PM ET (2 PM PT / 10 PM GMT) today. Just drop by about five minutes before the show starts, and there will be easy-to-follow instructions on how to watch the livestream and participate in the chat.

(And yes, I do know that I’m mixing my metaphors with the photo illustration above since I’m supposed to be talking about Macs. But it just seemed like a fun thing to do…)

Be there. TUAWloha.

TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET — Go ahead, Mac my day originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Maciverse is all a-twitter this morning with speculation that an Intel promo photo is showing off the next-generation MacBook Pro. As you can see in the photo at right, there’s a very thin laptop powered by the new Intel Sandy Bridge processor.

We reported about a month ago that Spanish Mac site FAQ-Mac.com had found an Intel promo showing an alleged Core i5 MacBook Pro that was to be given away. Somehow, people seem to be comparing that photo with the laptop seen in today’s advertisement.

Most likely, this is just a lot of breathless anticipation by a lot of MacBook Pro owners who wish their computer was as thin and sexy as a MacBook Air — but with a lot more power. Let’s think about this, folks. First, although there are abundant rumors about a MacBook Pro refresh appearing next month, we still don’t know what it would look like and it’s rare for Apple to let anyone, even Intel, see what their designs look like in advance.

Next, this device doesn’t appear to have the traditional iSight / FaceTime camera, and considering that cameras are built into most Apple products these days, it seems like that would be a great loss. It also appears to be missing the optical drive, which isn’t unprecedented — after all, the MacBook Air doesn’t have one — but would be a bit of a shock to MacBook Pro owners who are used to having that SuperDrive.

On the other hand, the black case could be an indication that Jony Ive and crew are starting to move away from the aluminum and glass design metaphor towards lighter carbon fiber construction. The opinion in the TUAW newsroom is that this is not a MacBook Pro; it’s most likely a generic placeholder image. If we’re wrong, I’ll eat chocolate-covered bacon.

[via CrunchGear]

Intel ad: Is this the new MacBook Pro? We don’t think so originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Love iPhones? Like math? More in our Doing the Math series, examining the numbers behind the hardware.

Recent rumors suggest the iPhone 5 might have a four-inch screen, slightly larger than the 3.5-inch screen in the iPhone 4. I was skeptical of this rumor at first, because I thought boosting the screen size would require Apple to increase the overall size of the handset, too. I fiddled with some numbers and determined that while it’s theoretically possible for Apple to put a 4-inch screen in the iPhone 5 while retaining its current 3:2 aspect ratio, it’s unlikely to happen for a few reasons.

If Apple increases the iPhone 5’s screen size to four inches but keeps it at the 3:2 aspect ratio all iPhones have had thus far, the overall dimensions work out to 3.32 x 2.22 inches. But the iPhone 4 handset’s overall width is only 2.31 inches; if Apple wants to keep the iPhone 5 around the same overall size as the iPhone 4, that only leaves 0.045 inches (1 millimeter) on either side of the display. That’s not a whole lot of clearance between the screen’s edge and the edge of the handset itself; in fact, it essentially means the screen would cover the entire width of the front faceplate.

Apple could work around that issue by slightly increasing the iPhone 5’s width, but there’s another problem. If Apple increases the screen size to 4″ but retains the same 960 x 640 pixel dimensions, the PPI (pixels per inch) value drops to about 289 ppi — well below the iPhone 4 Retina Display’s 326 ppi, and just barely at the threshold of a “Retina Display” level of quality. To maintain 326 ppi, the pixel dimensions on a hypothetical 4-inch, 3:2 screen must increase to the neighborhood of 1080 x 720, plus or minus a few pixels.

App developers would then have three sets of resolutions to support for the iPhone instead of two, and scaling from 960 x 640 to 1080 x 720 wouldn’t be anywhere near as simple as the pixel-doubling that got developers by in the early days before they were able to scale apps up from 480 x 320 resolution. Worse, any apps kept at a 960 x 640 resolution and “zoomed” to fill the new pixel dimensions would probably look pretty terrible; instead of doubling the pixels as happened in the early Retina Display era, the scale works out to 1 1/8 “zoom.”

What if Apple didn’t stick with a 3:2 aspect ratio for the iPhone 5’s screen and switched to something different? Read on to find out.

Continue reading The 4-inch iPhone display: Doing the math

The 4-inch iPhone display: Doing the math originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week, Julie writes in about being a new Mac user (having come from the Windows world). She wants to know what kind of maintenance she needs to run to keep her Mac working. I give a few suggestions, but there are A LOT more we could give her.

Applications mentioned in this video:

• DiskWarrior: US$99 for a great utility
• Onyx: a powerful system utility — use with CAUTION!

Remember, you can leave us questions in the comments! The video is on the next page.

Continue reading Ask TUAW Video Edition: Maintenance on your Mac

Ask TUAW Video Edition: Maintenance on your Mac originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Macgasm brings us word that Twitter has expanded the in-page previews on its website to include iOS App Store app details. Although originally designed to do inline previews of made-for-Twitter image services like yfrog and TwitPic, Twitter has been expanding the concept in recent months; it now includes Flickr images, YouTube videos and images from the insanely popular Instagram service.

The preview for the App Store is quite detailed; as you can see, it includes the app icon, description and screenshot. If you haven’t disabled iTunes opening automatically for web previews already, this might help prevent those annoying and unwanted “Aargh! Why is iTunes open now?” moments.

Two notes about this feature: you’ll only see the thumbnails on the “new Twitter” web interface. They don’t work on the old site, nor do they work in any Twitter clients — including the official ones for Mac OS X and iPad. Secondly, the previews seem to be only for iOS apps; for whatever reason, Mac App Store links don’t preview.

Twitter website adds inline App Store previews originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google may debut its new in-app purchasing and subscription system to compete with Apple’s controversial model. Similar to Apple, the Google system would let users purchase upgrades and other digital content within an application using Android’s built-in payment system, Google Checkout. The new system for Android would give developers a 90% cut, while Google would grab the remaining 10%. This revenue split is more attractive than Apple’s current 70:30.

Google is reportedly rolling out this system as soon as today and is possibly introducing early it to capitalize on the dissatisfaction that is brewing over Apple’s recent changes to its subscription and in-app purchasing policy. These changes now require content providers like Amazon to offer in-app purchases of content that is offered for sale via another channel. Application developers have until June 30 to comply with this new requirement or risk having their application removed from the App Store.

This change would affect a wide variety of applications including the Kindle app, Hulu, Rhapsody and others. Rhapsody has already responded negatively to these changes and other developers may follow suit. Will Google’s Android model be enticing enough to get developers to jump ship or is everyone blowing this out of proportion?

[Update: The original rumor is slightly incorrect. It is not Google’s in-app purchasing model that is rolling out today. Instead, Google announced its One Pass subscription service for publishers. The service lets publishers set their own rates for content which will be accessible via the web, tablets and smartphones. In-app purchasing will be available but only through mobile applications that can process an in-app purchase outside of the app store (i.e., probably not iOS). Revenue sharing is set at 90:10 and the service provides direct access to subscriber’s data. It is designed to help publishers promote and distribute digital content.

Google may introduce in-app purchasing to compete with Apple’s model (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Analyst Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research predicts Apple could increase its addressable handset market by 6X in unit volume and 2.5X in revenue with the launch of a smaller, less expensive iPhone model, says Forbes. These projected numbers come from his analysis of handset market share and Apple’s current market reach. Sacconaghi suggests Apple misses 60% of the handset market with its current strategy that limits distribution to select carriers and sells the iPhone at a relatively high price point.

Sacconaghi predicts Apple could take two approaches with the cheap iPhone. In one scenario, Apple would produce the iPhone Mini, a scaled-down version of the iPhone that would offer a less robust Internet and App experience. The handset would be less data-intensive and would debut with a low-cost data plan that costs $15 or less per month.

The other option would be to sell an ‘iPhone touch,’ which would be an iPhone without a data plan. This hypothetical beastie would have all the capabilities of the iPod touch plus voice calling, but no cellular data. 3G connectivity would be available but optional, a scenario that would let users rely on WiFi for all their data needs. [It’s not clear from the Forbes excerpt of the report if Sacconaghi is explicitly saying that hardware-wise, an ‘iPhone touch’ is identical to an iPhone — Apple would need to include all the 3G radio chips, antenna and corresponding battery power to handle 3G data if it’s a customer-selectable option. –Ed.]

Sacconaghi suggests that both of these handsets could debut with retail prices close to or less than $149. if Apple could capture even 5% of its missed market share with a cheap iPhone, the Cupertino company could see a minimum annual profit boost of $4.50 a share. [Another bit of confusion here; it’s not at all clear that Toni S. is considering the unsubsidized price of the current iPhone, which starts at $599 and goes up from there. How we get from that price down to $149 without the full support of a carrier subsidy — harder to justify without a revenue-rich data plan attached to the phone contract — is not really clear. –Ed.]

While Sacconaghi expects Apple will make this move to a less expensive model, he believes the chance of a summer launch is low. The analyst points out that Apple’s iPhone 4 supply is still constrained and the manufacturer would not want to steal the thunder from the launch of the iPhone 5 expected in June. If Apple were to pursue this low-cost option for the iPhone, perhaps a fall launch tied into its annual iPod refresh might be a more realistic possibility. Thoughts anyone?

Analyst: iPhone mini could increase Apple’s market reach by 6X, revenue 2.5X originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Finally out of beta, Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac is now available in the Mac App Store. The app lets those with a Windows Phone or a Zune HD and a Mac (an odd mix indeed) move photos, music and video between their devices and Macs running iTunes and iPhoto. Also, Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac can be used to update your Windows phone.

Note that, when syncing music, only unprotected (non DRM) tracks are supported. The app is free and, like we said, available right now.

[Via Engadget]

Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac OS now in the App Store originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another report reinforces the rumor that Apple’s MacBook Pro refresh will land in early March. This latest leak from AppleInsider claims volume production is underway, and assembled units will begin shipping the first week of March. The source of this information also hints that the MacBook Pro will see new product enhancements besides the Sandy Bridge processor. Details on which aspects of the notebook will see an upgrade were not provided, but we could easily see some of the popular features of the MacBook Air, such as a standard SSD drive or instant-on capability, coming to the MacBook Pro line.

This isn’t the first time this rumor has been tossed around. Earlier this week, Danish blogger Kenneth Lund issued a similar report that predicted a March 1 launch date. Earlier this month, new dummy SKUs thought to be for the MacBook Pro were spotted in Best Buy’s inventory system. Combine these rumors with the observation that current generation MacBook Pro hardware inventory is low, and you have multiple signs pointing to the imminent release of new MacBook Pro hardware. Anyone excited to find out what Apple has in store for its premier notebook lineup?

Rumor of MacBook Pro refresh in March getting louder originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By the time you read this post (or 12 PM EST, whichever comes first), Cows vs. Aliens should be live on the App Store and ready for purchase. I first got to see the game back at Macworld (where we also talked about XMG Studios’ comments on EA’s big holiday sale), and as you can see from that video, the game is a pretty simple affair. It’s completely touch-controlled, and the idea is that you push cows into the barn to keep them away from aliens, who you try to push off the precariously situated cliffs on either side. The gameplay comes in waves, and I believe there’s only the one mode, but there is Game Center integration for leaderboards.

Cows vs. Aliens seems like good fun, especially for younger players. If you want something more complicated, there’s plenty of that on the App Store, but if you want something for the kids to play (or something you can play with them — the iPhone version works great on the iPad, and the game supports all 11 points of touch, so multiple people can play at the same time), Cows vs. Aliens seems like a good deal. It’s US$0.99 on the App Store now

TUAW’s Daily App: Cows vs. Aliens originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Kindle app for iOS (my personal reading app of choice) got a nice update yesterday that brings “real” page numbers into the app. Now, as you read along in some e-books, you’ll get to see where you’d be in the printed version, so if you’re reading Kindle books along with a class or book club, you can find the same pages you’re all reading together. The update also adds information on the homescreen that shows your progress through the books on your iPhone, and you can now look up words using Google or Wikipedia directly within the app itself. Pretty groovy — like I said, this is my reading app of choice on the iPhone, and the update only makes it better.

Some of these features were already seen in the Kindle for Mac app available on the App Store. But we’ll probably see another Kindle update coming soon anyway, as of course, the app has to comply with the new restrictions on subscriptions, including offering the same in-app deals that are offered outside of the app, per Apple’s new subscription rules. That shouldn’t be too hard to do — if indeed Amazon wants to do it. We’ll have to wait and see on that one.

Kindle for iOS updated, adds page numbers and progress meters originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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