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      Guarding the app store

      April 2, 2010 /

      Is Apple going too far with some of its restrictive policies surrounding the approval of apps, or is Apple just having a hard time setting the rules for something that exploded in popularity? I guess we’ll find out in due time as Apple’s policies evolve, but in the meantime Apple is on the receiving end of some tough criticism.

      An app store lets companies tap into ideas from third-party innovators while retaining firm control over their brands. And that’s both its charm and its flaw. “The way Apple runs the App Store has harmed its reputation with programmers more than anything else they’ve ever done,” wrote Paul Graham, cofounder of the venture firm Y Combinator, on his blog.

      The central problem is Apple’s heavy-handed management: Nothing gets into Apple’s store without the company’s express approval. Its restrictions have pushed several high-profile developers to quit the iPhone, and have bred ill will with the programmers who’ve remained. Apple may feel it has room to misbehave. No other phone can offer developers anywhere near the number of customers to be found in the App Store, so what choice do they have?

      That’s a miscalculation, because the App Store’s true rival isn’t a competing app marketplace. Rather, it’s the open, developer-friendly Web. When Apple rejected Google Latitude, the search company’s nearby-friend-mapping program, developers created a nearly identical version that works perfectly on the iPhone’s Web browser. Google looks to be doing something similar with Voice, another app that Apple barred from its store. Last fall, Joe Hewitt, the Facebook developer who created the social network’s iPhone app, quit developing for Apple in protest of the company’s policies. Where did he go? Back to writing mobile apps for Web browsers.

      Apple’s app bonanza won’t end anytime soon, but you’d be a fool to ignore the long-term trend in software — away from incompatible platforms and restrictive programming regimes, and toward write-once, run-anywhere code that works on a variety of devices, without interference from middlemen. As different kinds of mobile devices hit the market, from phones to tablet PCs to smartpens to e-book readers and beyond, developers will find that trend harder to ignore. They’ll need to create programs that can work not just on iPhones but on everything. Fortunately, there’s an app for that: It’s called the Web.

      Apple is riding an incredible wave of success with iPhone apps, and things will only get more hectic with the introduction of the iPad that goes on sale tomorrow. Apple needs to redouble its efforts to control this situation in a manner that is fair to all participants.

      Apps, Gadgets, Mobile, New Media, Social Media

      More disaster stories for pay sites

      April 1, 2010 /

      Here’s another story of a newspaper making the grave mistake for charging for news content online. We’ve addressed this issue time and again on this blog – most people will not pay for news online when there are thousands of resources giving away content for free!

      Of course, some won’t listen and instead follow Rupert Murdoch’s silly advice, but with more horror stories like this most will finally get the message. If one wants to sell a traditional newspaper subscription, of course you make that a viable business. Just cut some of the ridiculous costs you’ve built up over the years. You might even be able to entice them with special features or services available online only to subscribers. But, don’t be foolish and expect to turn your entire news operation into an online subscription model. Free content is here to stay.

      New Media

      Top ten office buys for a successful business

      March 31, 2010 /

      Depending on how big your business is, there are things that any entrepreneur needs to buy to make a business successful. One of the first things, for most businesses, is a robust computer system. HP is highly recommended, because of its sophistication and attractive bulk prices. You can even get discounts if you are using HP coupons. You can use HP computers in a networked manner using Linksys or Netgear routers to effectively collaborate across rooms.

      One other important thing you may want to invest in is a high quality printer. Every office needs a laser printer at some point of time. Once you get the printer, think of a photocopier, if you think that would be useful. Get good videoconferencing systems if you are dealing with multiple locations or need to talk to clients long distance.

      Apart from hardware, there’s a bunch of software that can be useful. No business can do without a good accounting or tax software. Intuit is a good one; Quickbook Pro is also good for the small office.

      Small businesses need to focus on how to use open source or freeware to keep costs down. One good way to collaborate online is to use Skype. This is a VOIP telephone system that also lets you chat and collaborate online. Businesses that deal with employees online can find this very useful for collaborative work. International businesses, dealing with long distance clients, can find this very useful.

      There is not really a hard and fast rule about what you got to buy to be successful. It kind of depends on what you are selling. But in general, you should never shy away from spending in those things that improve business communication, whether it is with clients, or with business personnel.

      Entrepreneurs

      Magazines and the iPad

      March 27, 2010 /

      Commentators have been debating whether online news and opinion articles should be put behind pay walls to help the struggling publishing industry, but developments like the introduction of the iPad by Apple will make many of these discussions moot.

      With the iPad and other tablets, publishers now have a new option with loads of potential, with the ability to send out electronic versions of their print magazines with colorful ads. Then, by adding interactivity and video, the ads can become more engaging and much more effective. This story from the WSJ offers a glimpse of what’s to come.

      Time magazine has signed up Unilever, Toyota Motor, Fidelity Investments and at least three others for marketing agreements priced at about $200,000 apiece for a single ad spot in each of the first eight issues of the magazine’s iPad edition, according to people familiar with the matter.

      At Condé Nast Publications, Wired magazine is offering different levels of ad functionality depending on how many pages of ads a marketer buys, according to a person familiar with the matter. Advertisers that agree to buy eight pages of ads in a single issue of Wired magazine will be able to lace video and other extra features through the iPad version, say people familiar with the matter.

      Magazines largely are planning downloadable iPad applications that are near-replicas of the stories in the print versions, but they are demonstrating the new-media bells and whistles for advertisers: add-ons like videos, social-networking tools and navigation that take advantage of the large screen, touch technology and Internet connections of the tablet computer.

      Time Inc.’s Sport Illustrated has been showing advertisers three video-heavy ad prototypes, including one for a Ford Mustang that includes an arcade-style driving game using the tilt-and-turn capability of the iPad. With a few touches to the screen, readers can pick paint colors and wheel styles for cars they might want to buy.

      “Some of the things you can do are just mind blowing,” says Steve Pacheco, FedEx’s director of advertising. “You are taking something that used to be flat on a page and making it interactive and have it jump off the page.”

      Magazine publishers see the device as crucial to their future as they scour for new ways to make money, with print advertising still under threat. Digital advertising has been a disappointment for many publishers, but with the iPad they feel they have a technology that best marries the splashy look and size of a full-page print ad with the cool interactive features of a digital ad—and the ability to count how many people saw it.

      As I’ve argued before, a pay for delivery model makes much more sense for advertisers when compared to a pay wall. Pay walls can severely hurt a publication’s popularity, as many users will not be interested in paying for content and most bloggers won’t link to a story behind a pay wall. But, I suspect many users will pay for the convenience of being able to download a beautifully laid out magazine on a device like the iPad. They’ll even pay for a black and white version on their Kindle. Imagine having all your favorite magazines loaded up on your device when you board your flight, along with the books you’ve been waiting to read.

      These changes are inevitable, and I expect most publishers and large brand advertisers to jump on this trend.

      Aaron Baar of Marketing Daily agrees that the iPad will be transformational for the publishing business.

      Q: Is the iPad the savior of the publishing industry?

      A: We do believe it will be transformational for newspaper and magazine publishers. Whether it will save the business or not is a different story, but we definitely think it will put a new face to the way consumers can actually interact with print content as well as advertising within print content. It kind of gives the industry a breath of fresh air.

      The iPad “provokes” customer responses. Naturally, part of that is because the format os relatively new. But the interactive qualities will mean this effect will have considerable staying power.

      Apps, Gadgets, Mobile, New Media

      Need a Financial Help? Got an I-Phone?

      March 26, 2010 /

      There seems to be a smart phone application for just about every purpose under the sun. If you’ve got a possible need, some tech guru is busy right now making sure that you’ll have a smart phone application that will meet that need. Need airline tickets? There is an app. Need a date for the company party? There is one for that, too. So, it was inevitable that we would have apps for financial needs, but selecting the best money management apps for your phone can pose some problems. There are simply too many to choose from.

      Which finance-related app will work best for you will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish with it. There are apps for monitoring stock prices and some that even allow you to buy and sell via your mobile device. Other apps offer financial solutions ranging from long-term retirement planning to apps that help in obtaining fast and much needed cash loans for those unexpected emergencies. Finance related applications for smart phones are sometimes as easy to use as looking up an address, or they can be as complicated as a foreign encyclopedia. Shop and compare, and don’t be afraid to ask people questions about which ones provide them with a quality application.

      To select the best smart phone applications for money matters, you should look for the name behind the app. Those that are developed by companies with solid reputations in their area of expertise are probably the smarter buy for your money. Still, they can be more costly, too. Since the smart phone, like the web, is an open market for entrepreneurs who have their own items to sell, check out any app purchases carefully. Look for a highly rated app with sound customer support. After all, you want your apps to help you with your financial situation, not ones that create problems for you financially.

      Apps

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