O'Reilly Media: Mac and iPhone

David Pogue Revisits DRM Question about Ebooks

2009-12-18T08:55:15-08:10

In a blog post today, New York Times Columnist (and bestselling O'Reilly author) David Pogue responds to a reader question about DRM (he calls it "copy protection") in light of all the recent ereader buzz, and he's very honest and open about his (very natural) reaction to finding copies of his books out in the wild: "As an author myself, I, too, am terrified by the thought of piracy. I can't stand seeing my books, which are the primary source of my income, posted on all these piracy Web sites, available for anyone to download free." He then discusses sales for one of his books since we began offering it as a (DRM-free) ebook: "The thing was pirated to the skies. It's all over the Web now, ridiculously easy to download without paying... The crazy thing was, sales of the book did not fall."

Four short links: 17 December 2009 - Desirable Devices, iPhone Piracy Numbers, Internet Trend Numbers, Value of Privacy

2009-12-17T08:55:31-08:11

iPhone Piracy -- over 70% of submitted game scores for this game (Tap Fu) were from pirated copies. Having seen our data and the fact that not a single pirate bought Tap-Fu after playing it, these arguments all sound a bit delusional to me. It seems like an attempt at trying to be legitimate while hiding the real reason. They should just change their page to say "We pirate because we can". That seems to be a much more honest statement based on the data we've seen. (via timoreilly on Twitter) This and more in today's Four Short Links.

'Twas the Holiday Season in the Digital Age

2009-12-17T08:55:31-08:12

'Twas a night during the holidays, when all through the house Everyone was connecting and using their mouse. The screens were alight and holding their stares, While holiday music from iTunes loudly blared. The children were chatting and texting their friends, Searching for YouTube clips they just had to send; And Daddy with his iPhone and I with my RIM Were synching our calendars to meet at the gym.

Apps Per Seller Across the US iTunes Categories

2009-12-14T08:54:49-08:13

Measured in terms of number of unique apps, the Top 5 categories in the U.S. app store have been Games, Books, Entertainment, Travel and Utilities. But comparing categories in terms of number of apps doesn't capture the challenge of developing applications in different categories. As I noted in an earlier post, it's much easier to develop a Book app than an interactive game. One crude measure for the relative complexity of developing apps across categories is to compare the number of apps per seller.

Happy Birthday Internet!

2009-12-11T10:27:13-08:14

I love a celebration (who doesn't like cake) - especially for those who really deserve to be recognized. The Internet, as you probably know, turned 40 this month. Maybe it's the mother in me, but I would like to take a moment and reflect on how far it has come since its infancy. It's hit quite a few milestones!

Google Android: on Inevitability, the Dawn of Mobile, and the Missing Leg

2009-12-04T08:28:31-08:15

If for no other reason than the 'Anyone but Apple' crowd needs an alternative, there is an 'inevitability' meme associated with Google's Android initiative. But, is their success in the market really inevitable? Over a year after Android's launch, the jury is still out.

Steve Jobs is the closest thing to Walt Disney since Walt Disney

2009-11-25T07:26:20-08:16

I have written in the past about the the vision that drove Steve Jobs in pursuing his ambition for Apple. A cursory glance at the significant milestones in the careers of Walt Disney and Steve Jobs suggests an otherworldly ability to invent, re-invent and extend 'unfair advantages' across seemingly orthogonal domains. Steve Jobs is the closest thing to Walt Disney since Walt Disney, now forever bound by Pixar.

The iPhone: Tricorder Version 1.0?

2009-11-18T08:27:19-08:17

The iPhone, in addition to revolutionizing how people thought about mobile phone user interfaces, also was one of the first devices to offer a suite of sensors measuring everything from the visual environment to position to acceleration, all in a package that could fit in your shirt pocket. On December 3rd, O'Reilly will be offering a one-day online edition of the Where 2.0 conference, focusing on the iPhone sensors, and what you can do with them.

The War For the Web

2009-11-16T08:27:57-08:18

It is becoming clear to me that we are heading into a bloody period of competition that could be extremely unfriendly to the interoperable web as we know it today. If you've followed my thinking about Web 2.0 from the beginning, you know that I believe we are engaged in a long term project to build an internet operating system. I've outlined a few of the ways that big players like Facebook, Apple, and News Corp are potentially breaking the "small pieces loosely joined" model of the Internet. But perhaps most threatening of all are the natural monopolies created by Web 2.0 network effects. We're facing the prospect of Facebook as the platform, Apple as the platform, Google as the platform, Amazon as the platform, where big companies slug it out until one is king of the hill. And it's time for developers to take a stand. If you don't want a repeat of the PC era, place your bets now on open systems. Don't wait till it's too late.

What's Hot in O'Reilly Answers - iPhone, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, MS Project

2009-11-11T08:25:36-08:19

How to support older versions of the iPhone SDK HTML/CSS/JavaScript or Objective-C/Cocoa for iPhone app development? How to Work with Roman Numerals in Perl How to calibrate the iPhone Accelerometer for optimal use When can I try MS Project 2010? Share knowledge, ask questions on O'Reilly Answers today.

The Minds Behind Some of the Most Addictive Games Around - If you've wasted half your life playing Peggle, Bejeweled, Zuma or Plants vs. Zombies, blame these guys!

2009-11-09T07:56:08-08:20

The gaming industry tends to focus on the high end products, first person shooters that crank out a bazillion polygons a seconds and RPGs which spend more time developing the plot in cut scenes than in actual gameplay. But for every person playing Borderlands, there are scores playing casual games like Bejeweled and Zuma. PopCap Games has been at the forefront of casual game development, with a catalog that includes bestselling titles like Peggle and Plants vs Zombies, in addition to the two previously mentioned. I recently had a chance to talk to Jason Kapalka, one of the founders and the creative director of PopCap. We discussed the evolution of PopCap, how the casual gaming industry differs from mainstream gaming, and the challenges of creating games that can be engaging, without being frustrating.

Announcing O'Reilly Answers - Clever Hacks. Creative Ideas. Innovative Solutions.

2009-11-04T09:55:26-08:21

We're launching the beta of O'Reilly Answers, and I'm inviting you to be part of it. In brief, O'Reilly Answers is a community site for sharing knowledge, asking questions, and providing answers that brings together our customers, authors, editors, conference speakers, and Foo (Friends of O'Reilly). O'Reilly is at the center of an amazing exchange of knowledge sharing and idea generation, and we want you to join us in changing the world by spreading the knowledge of innovators.

Games Top the Charts in the iPhone and Android App Markets

2009-11-03T09:26:16-08:22

While it might be true that the number of Book apps is growing at a faster rate, Games continue to dominate the list of popular U.S. iTunes Apps. Games accounted for about a fifth of all iTunes apps over the past week†, but the category continued to have a disproportionate share of the Top 100 charts, accounting for 52% of the Top Grossing, 56% of the Top Paid, and 50% of the Top Free apps.

Google Shrinks Another Market With Free Turn-By-Turn Navigation

2009-10-29T08:27:44-08:23

Google has announced a free turn-by-turn navigation system for Android 2.0 phones such as the Droid. Read more about the features of Google Maps Navigation.

iPhone Killers, Blackberries and Chicken Parts

2009-10-29T08:27:44-08:24

While a steady stream of so-called iPhone Killers are filtering into the market, Apple's momentum continues unabated. Inspired by his own experiences upgrading to the Blackberry Tour, the author ponders why so many solution providers confuse delivering a bunch of 'chicken parts' with producing an actual, living, breathing chicken. BlackBerry Storm, Palm Pre, the G2, and now Droid have all been touted as contenders to the mobile computing crown, yet the iPhone continues to kick butt.