iProng Magazine issue #44 now available

post from prMac on 01 August 2009 11:26:00 PM. © prMac

iProng Magazine has released its 44th issue featuring a cover story interview with Our Lady Peace along with iPhone and iPod specific coverage including industry news and reviews of the latest apps and accessories. iProng Magazine is the publication for iPhone, iPod, music, podcasting, and social media lovers. This 44th issue is available for free download or via free PDF subscription in iTunes Store.

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http://prmac.com/release-id-6773.htm

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The Wal-Martification of Microsoft

post from Daring Fireball on 01 August 2009 07:37:00 PM. © Daring Fireball

Good piece from Rafe Colburn. In short, you get what you pay for.

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http://rc3.org/2009/07/31/the-wal-martification-of-microsoft/

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Pre-Order Snow Leopard From Amazon

post from Daring Fireball on 01 August 2009 05:58:00 PM. © Daring Fireball

Amazon is now accepting pre-orders for Snow Leopard and the Snow Leopard edition of the Mac Box Set. Order through these links and you’ll help support Daring Fireball thanks to Amazon’s affiliate program.

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http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/B001AMHWP8/ref=nosim/daringfirebal-20

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Steve Jobs, the Anti-Internet

post from Daring Fireball on 01 August 2009 05:57:00 PM. © Daring Fireball

Dave Winer:

Steve Jobs is the anti-Internet. The Internet is utilitarian, it works, but it’s ugly. Jobs’s stuff is so beautiful that when taken to its logical conclusion, and he’s almost there now, it’s so dazzling, so beautiful that you fail to see that it is also useless.

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http://www.scripting.com/stories/2009/08/01/heyMikeIToldYouSo.html

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Splendid NYT Infographic on Music Sales

post from Daring Fireball on 01 August 2009 05:55:00 PM. © Daring Fireball

Interesting and informative graph comparing the sales of music in various formats over time. (The graphic accompanies this column by Charles Blow on the music industry.)

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http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/08/01/opinion/01blow.ready.html

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FCC Opens Inquiry Regarding Google Voice App
Rejection

post from TheAppleBlog on 01 August 2009 05:39:00 PM. © TheAppleBlog

According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC is opening an inquiry into the Google Voice app rejection debacle.

In a statement Friday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the FCC “has a mission to foster a competitive wireless marketplace, protect and empower consumers, and promote innovation and investment.” The inquiry letters “reflect the Commission’s proactive approach to getting the facts and data necessary to make the best policy decisions.”

Letters have been sent to Apple, Google, and AT&T looking for more information. TechCrunch has transcripts of the letters, which break the inquiry down roughly like this:

Apple has been asked why they refused the Google Voice app, what role AT&T played in the refusal, and why other apps that integrate into Google Voice were pulled after their approval, and what other apps were refused for the iPhone?
Google has been asked for the a description of the proposed app, what explanation (if any) they received from Apple on why it was rejected, what other Google applications have been approved or are pending, and are there other mechanisms by which an iPhone user will be able to access either some or all of the features of Google Voice? If so, please explain how and to what extent iPhone users can utilize Google Voice despite the fact that it is not available through Apple?s App Store (emphasis mine; I find them phrasing the inquiry to reference jailbreaking interesting).
AT&T has been asked what role they played in the rejection, did Apple consult with AT&T on the rejection, does AT&T know of other app store rejections, and is there anything in A&T’s terms of services that limit customer usage of third party apps?

I’ve ranted on my thoughts on how Apple is running the App store already, so I’m not going to cover it again. However, I’m applauding the FCC looking into this. Apple is handling App Store rejections similar to how myself and my childhood friends resolved differences when we played games: we changed the rules when we were losing and when called on it, we pouted. There’s no consistency to this. “Your app is approved, no wait it’s not, sorry. OK, we’re not sorry. Your bug fix is rejected even though the original app has been in the store for months. No, we’re not sorry about that, either. Your app allows unfiltered access to the Internet even though you can use Mobile Safari to find even more hardcore content.”

Riverturn, the developer of VoiceCentral — one of the Google Voice-integrated apps Apple approved and then unapproved — comments on his blog his experiences when he called Apple on their inconsistent rules and Apple just pouted. Developers need to know what the rules of rejection are before they start investing time and money into the process. It’s becoming apparent that even support from Phil Schiller himself isn’t a guarantee the app will be approved.

While I don’t think the FCC inquiry is going to directly affect whether Google Voice makes an appearance on the App Store, I hope Apple sees this as a warning shot across the bow and realizes people other than irate developers and users are paying attention. Apple needs to be more transparent about how approvals and rejections are handled. “If you don’t like it, tough,” isn’t an acceptable answer. If it takes the FCC to start a sea change, I’m all for it.

Read The Full Article:
http://theappleblog.com/2009/08/01/fcc-opens-inquiry-regarding-google-voice-app-r
ejection/

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Final Draft 8 Review

post from TheAppleBlog on 01 August 2009 04:00:00 PM. © TheAppleBlog

final_draft

If you?ve ever harbored the desire to write for the silver screen and tried to do something about it, you?ll already know about Final Draft, the showbiz industry?s favorite scriptwriting software.

Everyone in Hollywood uses it; Studio Execs, beleaguered Producers, hot-shot directors… even Michael Bay uses it, but don?t let that last one put you off. If you use Final Draft, you?ll be in the company of James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro and Richard Donner. JJ Abrams is quoted saying, ?Even if you don?t own a computer, I recommend buying Final Draft.?

The company behind Final Draft — also called Final Draft — has crammed an impressive array of tools and functionality into version eight. In fact, there?s so much functionality that for novice users it can seem daunting getting to grips with it.

The good news is that it?s really quite easy to get started with Final Draft, particularly if you have some idea of how movie or TV scripts are constructed. And even if you don?t, Final Draft makes the learning process so smooth it?s really just part of your work flow. The software keeps your work in order, properly formatted, properly structured, yet never gets ?in the way.?

A typical script workspace

There is a mountain of goodness packed into this release. So much, in fact, it?s beyond the scope of this review, but here?s a quick rundown of the highlights.

Templates

If you?re unsure of how to structure your script, you can use one of over 50 television and movie templates bundled with the application. There are dozens more available on the Final Draft website, too, though the assumption is that you are a naughty software thief so you must provide a valid customer number before you can download them.

Templates come in many of flavors, including movie scripts...

...TV shows...

...Graphic Novels...

...and even good old fashioned manuscripts.

Smart Element Formatting

The single greatest feature in Final Draft is its intelligent and intuitive element formatting. The software watches what you type and anticipates what you are doing next. With only the tiniest bit of learning, you?ll find yourself zooming through scripts faster than Stephen King can knock-out novels.

Smart Elements pop-up works a lot like IntelliType

Speech

Final Draft lets you assign the Mac OS X system voices to the characters in your script, and have them read-aloud. Ask any writer — there is enormous value in hearing another voice read your dialogue back at you!

Choose which character gets which voice...

...then hit play!

Scene Tools

Brand new Scene Navigator and Scene View tools provide handy ways to view, structure and manage your script without scrolling through a hundred or so pages every time you need to check scene order, or remind yourself exactly when it was your characters fell into that trash compacter… Was it before or after your hero blasted the controls to extend the bridge?

Scene Navigator

Scene view

Scene properties

File Format

A new file XML-based file format improves compatibility with modern productivity software and other script-writing tools.

And more…

Also packed-in to version eight is improved page formatting and counting, workspace management, powerful production features for preparing a finished script for distribution or revision, a neat new toolbar and an apology from Final Draft for selling a copy to Michael Bay. (OK, that last one is a lie. But if you?ve cringed at the dialogue in Tranformers, you know that man owes us all. Big time.)

Just as a professional graphic artist can?t get far without learning Photoshop, anyone who?s serious about screenwriting should have a copy of Final Draft.

Read The Full Article:
http://theappleblog.com/2009/08/01/final-draft-8-review/

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FCC investigates Apple

rejection of Google's Voice app from the App Store has begun to raise questions and prompted the FCC...

Read The Full Article:
http://feeds.macnn.com/click.phdo?i=17d0370311dde7781ac14f79d361bd7d

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Free-trade vs. Fair-trade iPod

Umair Haque, writing for Harvard Business Publishing, posits what Apple’s iPods would cost if they were made in the U.S., and it turns out it’s not as much as you might think.

According to Haque, “an American made iPod Classic costs just 23 percent more than a Chinese made iPod Classic: $58 more, to be precise.” That is surprising, and in light of Apple’s perennial troubles with manufacturers in Asia, worth thinking about further.

ipod_price_comparison

Claims of “iPod sweatshops” have been around for years, with some of the more damning accusations likening manufacturing facilities with worker dormitories to prison barracks. At best, the pay is low and workload high. More recently, Apple manufacturing contractor Foxconn came under scrutiny regarding the apparent suicide of a worker over an iPhone missing from a sample shipment. Since then, both Apple and Foxconn have expressed regret for the death, with Foxconn compensating the family of Sun Danyong. However, beyond that compensation, it’s unlikely anything will change in labor practices abroad.

That’s where Umir Haque’s thought experiment for building a “good” iPod in the U.S. comes in. The estimated costs of labor in the U.S. and China are $24.59 and $1.47 per hour. The estimated amount of labor required for final assembly is 2.7 hours, creating a difference in manufacturing cost of $58.19. Using that number, Haque extrapolated the costs for iPod categories. I took that a step further, listing every model of iPod and iPhone, iPhone cost being the subsidized price.

Obviously, the lower the price, the greater the differential. The shuffle would likely be hurt the most in the eyes of the consumer. That’s who the chart is really for, in my opinion. It’s a rhetorical question concerning whether you would pay more for an iPod or iPhone built with a living wage, as there is no chance Apple is going to move its manufacturing to the U.S. This isn’t to say Apple is bad. After the death of Sun Danyong, the company reiterated its stance that suppliers “treat all workers with dignity and respect,” and the company has broken no laws, least of all the Iron Law of Wages.

Read The Full Article:
http://theappleblog.com/2009/08/01/free-trade-vs-fair-trade-ipod/

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FCC Opens Inquiry of Apples Ban of Google Voice
Apps for iPhone

Fawn Johnson and Amy Schatz, reporting for the WSJ:

The Federal Communications Commission has launched an inquiry into why Apple Inc. rejected Google Inc.’s Internet-telephony software for the popular iPhone, another sign of the Obama administration’s stepped-up scrutiny of competitive practices in the technology industry.

In letters sent late Friday to the two companies and AT&T Inc., the FCC asked why Apple rejected the Google Voice application for the iPhone and removed related applications from its App Store. The letter also seeks information on how AT&T, the exclusive U.S. iPhone carrier, was consulted in the decision, if at all.

The FCC’s letter to Apple (PDF) asks very pointed questions about what, if any, AT&T played in this decision, and asks Apple, “What are the standards for considering and approving iPhone applications?”

This should be good.

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Read The Full Article:
http://www.google.com/url?q=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124908121794098073.ht
ml

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