[via Android Developers Blog; emphasis mine]

Developers will be able to make their content available on an open service hosted by Google that features a feedback and rating system similar to YouTube. We chose the term "market" rather than "store" because we feel that developers should have an open and unobstructed environment to make their content available. Similar to YouTube, content can debut in the marketplace after only three simple steps: register as a merchant, upload and describe your content and publish it. We also intend to provide developers with a useful dashboard and analytics to help drive their business and ultimately improve their offerings.

Obviously the post here takes shots at the iTunes App Store. No big surprise, and no big deal. It would be fantastic if they could put up anything they wanted. There wouldn't be delays for bug fix releases to be posted. There wouldn't be complaints about what apps Apple allows and what apps Apple denies. It would be great. Or would it be?

There is no shortage of complaints about all the crap that makes it to the iTunes App Store. This is going to be 100x worse with Google's system that provides no barrier at all to entry. The comparison to YouTube is a good one to use. Just think about all the crap that's on YouTube. That same quality to crap ratio will undoubtedly be present at the Android store. Gee, I can't wait for that.

Playing Video Podcasts Vertically on iPhone

So this might be old news to most people, but I ran across it today when I started up the most recent episode of Wine Library TV. I was able to view the video podcast while the iPhone was oriented vertically (and the video didn't play horizontally). Double tapping got it to all fit in on the screen (although tiny). Here's a picture because I'm not sure how well I'm explaining it:

For video podcast content I would much rather hold the phone vertically than horizontally. Feels much better in my hand.

Has this been possible for a while?

On Making Meetings Shorter

There are many occasions where meetings aren't necessary. A lot of times a phone call, email, or quick stop by someone's office will suffice (Does your meeting pass the "blizzard goggles" test?). If by chance you do need to have a meeting (hey, it happens) then consider making it shorter.

After some time, I shortened most meetings to 30 minutes and some to 10 or 15. It is amazing how much important ground you can cover when both parties understand how much time you have to work with and you get right to the important issues.

There is no reason to schedule an hour for something that will only take 15-20 minutes. If a meeting is scheduled for an hour it has a bad habit of getting dragged out to an hour regardless of whether or not there is an hour of content to cover.

OneInfiniteBlog Podcast - 2

Episode 2 of the Official OneInfiniteBlog podcast is live. Check it out now (iTunes Store link). Just over 20 minutes of commentary on topics that matter to, well, me.

Links / Topics from this episode:

• Kevin Rose's track record on Apple predictions
• iPhone 2.0.2 Update
• 37Signals and working less (and better)

4 Day Work Week

[via SvN] Emphasis mine:

The point of the 4-day work week is about doing less work. It’s not about 4 10-hour days for the magical 40-hour work week. It’s about 4 normalish 8-hour days for the new and improved 32-hour work week. The numbers are just used to illustrate a point. Results, not hours, are what matter, but working longer hours doesn’t translate to better results. The law of diminishing returns kicks in quick when you’re overworked.

People in so many work environments are far too concerned with getting their 40 hours in each week (whether it be pressure from their employer or themselves). Just like they said, it's the results, not hours, that matter. I agree 100% with the statement above. Now, that's not to say that you can do that all the time. There are occasions where more time is required. The flip side is equally true. There are times when less time is required.

You shouldn't be punished for being able to work efficiently and getting you tasks done in less than 40 hours a week. In this day and age we are all far too eager to tell people how busy we are. I hear, "I'm so busy" or "I have so much to do and no time!" all the time. That shouldn't be our goal. We shouldn't brag about how we put in 50-60 hours each week. It's not healthy and it doesn't promote a good work environment.

When I look at someone who works 60 hours a week, staying late each night, I don't think, "Wow, that's a good employee that I want to be like." I feel sorry for that person because they don't get to go home and spend time with their family or do other things they enjoy. Part of the problem is that many companies would consider this the model employee. It's not. Employees like this get burned out and produce lower quality work in the long run.

iPhone 3G Class Action Lawsuit

[via Ars]

Smith and the class, assuming the suit is approved as a class-action, ask that Apple be ordered to repair or replace all Defective iPhone 3Gs. Additionally, she asks that the company be required to pay unspecified damages, pre- and post-judgment interest on monetary relief, and attorney's fees.

I hate lawsuits like this, against Apple or not. They are frivolous and a waste of money and time. I bet this woman could get a replacement phone if she contacted Apple and reported her problems. We know the phone is under warranty. I don't know if she has or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if she just thought this would be an easy way to get some extra cash. And yes, I know lots of people are having problems with 3G, but there are other ways to try and resolve these issues besides a lawsuit.

She alleges that she and all members of the class have sustained monetary and economic injuries due to the purchase of the Defective iPhone 3G

Seriously? Monetary and economic injuries? I'm so baffled I'm speechless. Does it suck when your phone doesn't work? Yes. I've had problems of my own. Guess what I've done? I've driven to my nearest Apple Store (or called AppleCare) and done something about it. I don't see why people are so quick to jump to a lawsuit.

Next thing you know someone is going to sue a phone maker because they got hit by a car while texting. Yeah, because that's the phone manufacturers fault.

"Dell's comback machine" analysis

John Fortt has an article on Fortune/CNN about how Dell is going to make a comeback. Let's take a look at this.

Huh? Surely this must be some sort of joke. Everyone knows that buttoned-down Dell (DELL) doesn’t do business pink.

If Dell thinks that colors are going to help them innovate their way out of a slump they are in for a big disappointment. Other changes are being made to their flagship line of laptops, sure, but when you are touting colors you are already 2 steps behind.

For instance, Dell realized its designers can no longer craft Latitude laptops simply to satisfy IT managers. Design director Ken Musgrave tells me that as tech-savvy Gen Y’ers have entered the workforce, they’ve brought a sense of digital entitlement; they don’t want to use equipment that isn’t cutting edge and cool, and Dell’s brand doesn’t have credibility with them yet.

Mr. Fortt makes an excellent point here. Young people who are entering the workforce do want something cool. I don't think colors are going to tip them over the edge, though. Let's see what else Dell shows him.

The payoff: it tips the scales at just a kilogram - 2.2 pounds. (A full range of Latitude sizes is available.)

Finally, some changes that have some substance. I'm sure the 2.2lb machine is lacking of some hardware, but it's a good place to start. Lighter than the MacBook Air even, but weight doesn't really solve the problem of "digital entitlement" that Ken Musgrave mentioned above. It sounds like Dell is wanting to head the right way, they just don't control the whole widget to do it. One of the reason Apple's products are seen as this "digital hub" or "center of your entertainment world" is because of the software. They provide iLife, iWork, etc. Dell needs to realize that these things can't all come from hardware.

There are some surprises beneath the surface of the Latitude line as well. One is an optional Linux-based low-power mode called Dell Latitude On, which boots in two seconds. It offers more than a day’s worth of battery life for basic tasks like web surfing, Exchange e-mail, and viewing e-mail attachments, and runs on an ARM-based (ARMH) chip rather than the main Intel processor.

Most users (Mac and PC) have something close to "One" already. It's called sleep mode. When I wake my MacBook Air from sleep it is "on" in about two seconds. Now I like the idea of a lower power mode that offers extra long battery life, but not when it comes at the expense of so many features. Even so, it is an interesting move and a decent way to differentiate themselves.

Dell says they want to pick up these "Gen Y'ers", but by providing a somewhat intriguing feature
with One they have eliminated what the Gen Y'ers love, their movies, music, and photos. Being able to surf MySpace and Facebook sounds like it might be limited in the low power mode. Will Flash work? Quicktime? Windows Media Player? These things are important to the people Dell says they are trying to gear these new machines towards.

All of which bodes well for Dell’s chances of extending its comeback with the Latitude launch. The company seems to be doing everything right – courting Gen Y, minding design, and still managing to keep IT managers happy.

Doing everything right? What have they done?! They have made them in colors, lighter, and provided a bare bones method to check email and web surf. That's it. While these might be features Gen Y'ers think are nice, they don't make the computing experience better. A lot of what they need to do is out of their hands because it's about the software. I don't think Mr. Fortt or Dell understand. Today, hardware is all basically the same inside. Colors don't provide the user with a better computing experience. Software does that.

I'm not arguing that design isn't important, but changing the color of the case isn't design. Even slimming down a machine to 2.2lbs by stripping some metal casing isn't design, its engineering. Design and engineering are not the same thing.

Thoughts?

Photographers Working Together

I think far too often professional photographers are hesitant to work with each other, or give helpful tips to each other, for fear of losing clients or revenue. Nonsense. 

Photographers should work together to help improve their craft. I had the chance recently to work with another photographer in our town and it was a wonderful experience. She shot the session while my wife and I were the subjects. We were able to gain excellent perspective on what a session is like for our clients as well as pass around helpful information on how to make the session go smoother. 

It is the exchange of information like this that helps improve everyone. A lot of photographers fear that they will lose out on business this way, especially if they are from a small town. There will always be people who want there picture taken. There will always be another class of seniors, pregnant mothers, and newborn children. That will never change. If photographers will work together, hone their skills, and improve their results everyone will be happier.

Knowledge and experience are things we should share. Sharing gets your name out, gets you recognized, gets people talking about you. Don't hide. Make yourself heard.

Gary V. at the New Media Expo

Gary Vaynerchuk gives the keynote at New Media Expo '08. Very good stuff and worth watching the entire 45 minutes. Watch it. Some things that I got out of it:

• Content and community are king
  
• You need to know what you want, what's important to you. What is in your DNA?
• Become part of the conversation, leave comments everywhere
• You have to be patient. You won't get 10,000 followers on day 1 or day 100
• You must build your personal brand
• "Legacy is greater than currency"
• Your personal brand is a big deal. 
• The entry is zero, zip.

Gary has incredible energy. Hearing him speak is inspiring. I can't wait to see where he is in 5-10 years. 

Screenshots of the Upcoming Nike+ iPhone Application Leaked

iPhon.fr posts a story (Google translate link) that includes some nice screenshots of the upcoming Nike+ iPhone app interface. It's nice to see that you'll be able to get all the eye candy that was once only available on the website on your phone. We'll see how well GPS from the iPhone 3G can be integrated into the software.

I do have one question related to the Nike+ software in general (on the iPod nano of course). Why are you forced to select a playlist when using the Nike+ system? Why can't you just select an individual song and start playing it and then have it go on to the next one. You can do that when you are listening to the iPod normally. This would make it a lot easier to listen to podcasts while running.

"iPhone Software 2.0.2 Made My Phone Faster!"

No it didn't. You just think it did. More stable? Yes. Faster? No. 

(typing on the keyboard might not be such a slow drag anymore, but the phone is not faster overall. I promise.)

New Back To My Mac requirements?

So I've been chugging along with BTTM with no problems at all for many months now. Well, this morning I make my way into the office and find the following:

Is anyone else experiencing this? 

iTunes App Store Comments: A broken system

Commenting on Commenters

One of the major complaints (especially from developers) of the iTunes App Store is the comment system. First, let's take a look at a couple of the gems I've run across. This one for Twitterrific:

Stupid.. ★

by medicated

So... Twitter is really stupid and an annoying waste of time. And somehow this app just makes it worse.

What an excellent addition to the list of already wonderful comments. It appears that this person hasn't even downloaded and used the app. Feeling so strongly that Twitter is "stupid" they had to write a negative review having never tried it. 

And now another for Exposure:

No Upload? ★★

by Terrible0ne

Is it that hard to make a free app that let's you upload geotagged pix to flickr and then view them on the map at flickr?

My sense is that Terrible0ne has little to no idea what it takes to concept, program, and polish an iPhone app. Now I could be wrong, he might be the genius developer behind some App Store standouts, but I highly doubt it. 

Differences Between Music and Application Comments

Music and movies never change. When someone comments on a Cold Play song it will forever apply. It's set. Applications are completely different. Updates fix bugs and add features. Comments don't reflect this. A commenter might complain about a bug that is present in 1.0, but fixed in 1.1. Unfortunately for the developer that comment is cemented in place for eternity. NetNewsWire represents an excellent example of this.

Nice idea, but ★★

by macguyincali

Those of us who are power users of NetNewsWire on the mac and have a lot of subscriptions, the iPhone application gets so bogged down downloading feeds that it is virtually unusable. I'm hoping they give us some more options for at least choosing a smaller subset of subscriptions or at least make it snappier with the larger set. I have yet to be able to successfully use it as it spends freezes up while waiting to download the hundreds of feeds I have.

This was a legitimate complaint about the 1.0 release of NNW. If you had hundreds of feeds it would take forever to load. Fortunately, Brent is an excellent Mac developer and listened to the complaints and (for the most part) resolved this issue in a later update. NNW now has the ability to remove feeds from showing up on your iPhone (Engadget and Gizmodo were immediately removed for me as they update way too frequently during the day). Unfortunately for Brent that comment is one of the "most helpful" and still shows up near the top of the comments (and more importantly, on the front page). 

Solutions?

One suggestion is that you shouldn't be allowed to comment on an application unless you have downloaded it. To me, this seems like a fantastic idea. It creates a barrier to entry just like the $99 fee to get your application on the iTunes Store. This barrier would help eliminate some of the crap. Obviously some of the crap will still come through (just look at the 50% of what's on the App Store), but imagine if that $99 fee wasn't there. It would be infinitely worse.

Could another possible solution be that you have different comments for each version of the application? The advantage would be that comments about a resolved issue would no longer be present. The disadvantage would be that an applications rating and list of comments would be reset each time. This might give developers incentive to release "updates" just to clear out any unwanted comments. 

Any other thoughts on how Apple can fix the comment system?

OneInfiniteBlog Official Podcast

Announcing the OneInfiniteBlog podcast (iTunes link):

Bite sized chunks of Apple, photography, and other things we enjoy. The plan is to keep it short (10-20 minutes), on topic (Apple, photography, etc.), and enjoyable (topics discussed on the site as well as new topics).

Show 1 Notes / Links:

• NetNewsWire for iPhone
• The audio for show 1 was a little low and rough. Show 2 audio will hopefully be improved as I won't be recording via a Logitech headset.
• New episodes will appear about every...no, I'm not going to even guess because I don't want to set unrealistic expectations.
• I'm still figuring this out, so we'll see what happens.
  

Some minor site business

Some quick site notes:

• The RSS feed is alive and kicking. Grab it now.
• For those reading on Sunday, get a sneak peek of our podcast (better audio promised for next time). 
• We're on Twitter.
• We're on Flickr.

A Little More on Michael Cote and Those 3 Million iPhones

After posting the first article about Mr. Cote several days ago I was able to get a little more information.

What I am attempting to find out is where he got his 3 Million iPhones sold figure. You see, when a firm like Piper Jaffray speculates you get some type of idea of how they arrived at their figures. Mr. Cote didn't provide any details on how he arrived at his figures (either that or Moritz didn't think that was important enough to include in his column).

I came across an email (and other contact information) that appeared to be for Mr. Cote and did in fact get a response from him. He seemed eager at the time to talk via the telephone (he called me on my cell phone even though I hadn't provided the number to him). I missed his first call but continued to correspond with him via email to setup another phone call. When I called him on Wednesday (we hadn't setup a specific time, he just suggested he would be free on and off for the next couple days) it went to voicemail and I left a polite message.

At that point I sent him an email with my two main questions:

1) Where did you get the information for your "3 Million iPhones Sold" claim?

2) Mr. Moritz mentioned in the article that you have been extremely accurate with wireless predictions in the past. I am curious as to what those predictions were (and where they were made, if possible).

The Reason I am curious is because Mr. Moritz has had several columns touting iPhone sales numbers and Apple rumors that have been seen by many as fairly off base (I can provide links to the original articles as well as commentary if you would like).

Since that email I have received no more correspondence, either by email or phone. Now he is probably just busy and hasn't had a chance to get back to little old me yet, but he was pretty eager when I sent him that first email. I'm wondering if he didn't take to kindly to my questioning. We'll find out over the next several days.

It would be beneficial for him to go on record on where he got his information. As of now it just comes across as an unfounded claim. When you make these claims about a company like Apple and then can't back them up you are bound to get a lot of questions.

I'll provide more information as it comes my way.

More on Michael Cote soon

I'm hoping to be able to put together another post on Mr. Cote within the next day or so that might answer some more questions. Stay tuned.

What Apps Are on Your Main iPhone Screen?

The main home screen of your iPhone is prime territory. The applications that reside there aren't even a swipe away. Here is what my screen looks like:

I am still in the process of getting this screen exactly how I want it, but I'll go through and explain what is there, and why.

AIM

I'm a fan of iChat, not a fan of AIM. I don't really like the interface or the layout of the app. I have it in the #1 position for the future. Once Apple adds their Push Notifications API for public consumption AOL will support this. When they do my need for text messages will decrease dramatically (and therefore my need for the $5 addition to my AT&T bill (we got our first bill since our switch to the 3G model and it was buggered up, big surprise)). I have seen Twenty08's MobileChat (iTunes link) and am intrigued. Once the Push service for 3rd party apps goes live I would gladly consider paying $2.99 for a well done chat client. 

Remote

Apple worked some magic with this one. Remote works flawlessly and allows us to manage and navigate our music library on our computer or AppleTV's with ease. Even better it allows us to turn on and off streaming to our AppleTV's on the fly. This way when we go from room to room we can have the music follow us. It has been priceless in combination with our outdoor speakers. Before, with the AppleTV remote, we needed line of site to change any music. With Remote we can do whatever we want from the comfort of our lawn chair.

Twinkle

Twinkle or Twitterrific? Twinkle has won the battle of my Home Screen at the moment. Twitter still sits on page 2, ready to pounce at any moment. The only reason Twinkle is on top instead of Twitterrific is because of scroll speed. I have had constant issues scrolling with Twitterrific. If they can fix this in an update (which I'm sure they can) then I'll switch in an instant.

NetNewsWire

Brent has worked magic with this app. Since the addition of the preference to remove a feed from the iPhone (and keep it in a desktop client) I have been hooked. To have feeds fade away when there are no unread articles makes the list clean itself right up. It's perfect for iPhone. NNW is a great example of how the feature sets of a desktop app and iPhone app need to be different.

Exposure

I love Flickr. Exposure lets me have that same well thought out experience on my phone. 

Poker

This is MotionX Poker, which I have already talked about in detail. You can read that for my thoughts.

Cro-Mag

I wanted to pick up a racing game that I could use to show off the unique features of the iPhone (specifically controlling with the accelerometer). My choice was between Crash Bandicoot and Cro-Mag. My ultimate decision came when the developers of Cro-Mag dropped the price of the game from $9.99 to $5.99. 

While there are many excellent aspects of the game (I might write something longer on it later) it is not a quick pick-up-and-play-for-3-minutes-to-kill-time-game. I wanted to be able to finish a race quickly. The tracks are very long and take me about 5-8 minutes to finish. That's too long. I am not using my phone as a gaming device. I want a racing game that I can start and finish (one race at least) in just a couple of minutes. 

I'm not arguing that Cro-Mag isn't a great game (although it does have its quirks), I'm just saying it doesn't fit my needs quite like I hoped it would.

Hold 'Em

Apple's attention to detail here is amazing. While I only play it once a week at this point I keep it on my main screen because I paid for it. 

Labyrinth

Excellent in fulfilling my desire for a play-for-2-minutes-to-kill-time-and-be-done game. I'll play a couple levels while I'm waiting for something to finish and then be done with it. Just what I want.

What does your home screen look like?

Gearheads Don't Get It

via 37Signals

"It’s not the camera that I use, it’s not the blogging software, it’s not the widgets, it’s not the SEO. It’s the two C’s: content and community…There are so many crap podcasts out there with billion dollar cameras and editing tools for days. It’s about giving from your heart with content you really understand and, more importantly, giving back to the community that supports your show." ...It’s not the gear that matters. It’s you and your ideas that matter. Tone is in your fingers.

It really is about content and community. That is why I really appreciate the comments from readers. This blog isn't popular like DF or SVN, but people are still willing to participate. Their participation makes me willing to keep on posting.

Who is Michael Cote and how does he know Apple sold 3 Million iPhones?

Something doesn't add up.

Fortune posted a story by Scott Moritz (who has helped spread rumors of iPhone numbers before) on Monday claiming Apple has already sold 3 Million iPhones. This number doesn't seem too far fetched. The iPhone 3G is available in many more countries than the original phone and is still sold out in many states here in the US. What is interesting is where this figure comes from:

One month after its debut, Apple's new iPhone has hit the 3 million sold mark, according to analyst Michael Cote of the Cote Collaborative.

Michael Cote, 'eh? Cote Collaborative? Fine. I haven't heard of every analyst out there, so that's no big deal. It goes on:

"They are seeing unprecedented demand," says Cote, adding that there appears to be no signs of a let up yet. Cote, a former T-Mobile executive, has been extremely accurate with wireless predictions in the past.

Okay, now you've caught my interest a bit. He has been extremely accurate with wireless predictions in the past? Searching Google for "Cote Collaborative" returns mostly results for the recent iPhone story as well as a link to cotecollaborative.com which is a page that is currently parked by GoDaddy. Interesting.

Searching Google for "Michael Cote" brings back 21,000 results, the top of which include: Michael Cote Music, Michael Cote from Grandbury, Texas, and Michael Cote of Redmonk. Towards the bottom of the first page of results we see results related to the Fortune story. Searching Google News doesn't turn up much besides the Fortune story either.

Searching for "Michael Cote T-Mobile" did turn up the following information:

Michael Cote is an Independent Telecommunications Consultant. He specializes in enterprise mobility, sales and distribution strategy, online strategy, smart phones, and customer care and billing. Mr. Cote has over 15 years of sales, marketing, and operational experience in the telecommunications industry.

Apparently he worked at T-Mobile as a VP of Business Sales and Operations from 2001-2005 and since then has been an Independent Consultant. So we know he was in fact employed with T-Mobile, but what about these other predictions that he has been so accurate with? I haven't found any evidence of those so far. He gave a presentation on Feb. 8, 2007 on "iPhone's Impact on All Things Wireless", but there is little information about the specifics in that presentation.

Results also turned up that a team lead by Mr. Cote while he was at T-Mobile was nominated for an American Business Award:

Michael Cote began his career at T-Mobile in 2001 as VP of Wireless Data Sales and Operations. Michael successfully built out Channel Management (focused on wireless data), Technical Sales and NSA (focused on enterprise business) and expanded his role to include General Business (focused on small to mid-sized business), when promoted to Vice President of Direct Sales in 2002.

Nice, but still no evidence of previous predictions or how he would have knowledge of Apple sales. I have also not found any evidence of Cote Collaborative other than the parked page. While I have just started my searching, this is somewhat interesting. Has anyone else been able to find anything significant that I'm missing? Let me know in the comments.

I don't doubt that he has knowledge of the wireless industry, but why would Scott Moritz use this guy's claim? It seems to have come from nowhere with no real evidence or explanation (other than it's popular). In fact, I think Apple has sold 4 Million iPhone 3G's! Someone contact me for a story. Something about this just seems strange, but what do I know?

Also interesting (although not solely related I'm sure) is that Apple stock is up more than $7 since the news broke that Apple had sold 3 Million phones.

Thoughts?

MobileMe Mail Down Again

I don't know how many people are experiencing the same thing, but MobileMe mail is down (including via the web). Looks like Steve might need another town hall meeting with the team.

[UPDATE: MobileMe webmail is working. Connections from Mail.app are still failing]

[UPDATE 2: All services are working now. We'll see how long that lasts...]

Jobs addresses the MobileMe team

via a DF footnote

This, of course, is only what Jobs wrote in the memo, which was distributed throughout the company and destined to leak to the press. Those Apple employees who are fortunate enough to work on the MobileMe team were treated to something extra: a 40-minute lecture from Jobs in Apple’s Town Hall theater, which lecture was, shall we say, slightly more profane. E.g. where the memo says “we will press on to make it a service we are all proud of by the end of this year”, in Jobs’s Town Hall address to the MobileMe team, it came out more like “You better f***ing fix it by the end of the year”. Paraphrasing, but you get the picture.

I love little tidbits like this and would have loved to have been a fly on that wall. I've had quite a few MobileMe problems of my own so I am hopeful for a resolution to some of these issues.

Jobs Discusses First Month of App Store: Analysis

A quick analysis of Nick Wingfields article over at the WSJ:

..users have downloaded more than 60 million programs for the iPhone, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in an interview at Apple's headquarters. While most of those applications were free, Apple sold an average of $1 million a day in applications for a total of about $30 million in sales over the month, Mr. Jobs said.

60 million downloads in 30 days is an outstanding number even if the majority of those applications were free. Many of those downloads were presumably people seeing an application on the store, downloading it, playing with it for a minute or two, and then removing it from their phone. I know I have gone through this process my own many times. Even more impressive is that people (who just spent $199 or $299 on a phone and $60+/mo for service) are spending $1 million per day on paid software.

[A QUICK SIDE NOTE: Now that these figures are public I would expect to see even more pointless applications being released at the $.99 price point. It is very apparent that people are more than happy to spend that for an application that will provide even as little as 5-10 minutes of entertainment. Unfortunately this won't help the App Store's growing reputation as the "Crap Store".]

Of the $30 million in revenue, about $9 million of that makes its way to Apple. This is just about enough to run the store at its break even point. This is where Apple is able to differentiate itself from competitors on the music side. Many online music stores are in business to make money (duh), but Apple doesn't run the iTunes Store for that reason. It runs the iTunes Store to sell more profitable iPods and iPhones (of course making a little money on the side doesn't hurt).

Mr. Jobs said developers' share of iPhone application sales in the first month was about $21 million, of which the top 10 developers earned roughly $9 million.

Let's break down these numbers. The article previously stated that in the first 20 days Super Monkey Ball received about 300,000 downloads. Let's assume that in 10 more days it received another 50,000 downloads (this number might be a bit conservative, but all I can do is guess). So 350,000 downloads at $9.99 a piece means about $3.5 million in revenue, of which Sega received 70%.

So in 30 days Super Monkey Ball made about $2.447 million. Apple didn't state that the top 10 applications made $9 million, however. They stated that the top 10 developers made that amount. Sega also sells SEGA Columns Deluxe on the App Store for $4.99. This application does not appear on Apple's "Top 100 Paid Apps" list so it's difficult to even take a guess at how much additional revenue this has brought in for Sega.

One can probably assume that Sega is the top developer on that list (why else would Apple keep touting their numbers? Publicize the most popular, right?) which means 9 developers made somewhere in the ballpark of $6.5 million. Apple is also probably near the top of that list. Their Hold 'Em game has been near the top of the paid apps list since the store was opened.

Even so, there is a lot of money to be made on the App Store and these numbers will only continue to grow at an even more rapid rate as the iPhone and iPod touch continue to sell.

The company recently removed an application called I Am Rich that did nothing but display a glowing red gem, for the eye-popping sum of $999.99. The programmer who created it, Armin Heinrich, says he thought he was abiding by Apple's rules for its developers. An Apple spokeswoman said Apple made a "judgment call" to remove I Am Rich.

Apple needs to put down a specific set of guidelines as to what is and isn't acceptable on the App Store. Making too many "judgment calls" after you have already let an app onto the store leaves users with a sour taste in their mouths. Apple needs to let users speak with their wallets on whether or not an application is worth paying for. There was no malicious code inside I Am Rich. There was no porn, no bandwidth hogging content. It is not Apple's place to decide what we should and should not download (outside of malicious, illegal, etc.). Even if it's crap, put it on the store and let us decide on our own.

Mr. Jobs confirmed such a capability exists, but argued that Apple needs it in case it inadvertently allows a malicious program -- one that stole users' personal data, for example -- to be distributed to iPhones through the App Store. "Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull," he says.

This quote could be written about in a completely separate article, but I am curious as to what readers think. My take is that Apple doesn't have this type of "kill switch" for Mac software which could presumably cause even more harm (I would argue that more sensitive data is stored on computers than on phones). If Jobs is saying it would be "irresponsible" not to have a lever like that for the phone, is it not equally irresponsible to not have that type of switch for the Mac? Could this be where Apple is headed? I certainly hope not.

It should be the users responsibility to protect their personal information, not Apple's. In the Mac software world there would be a quick and immediate outcry and condemnation of any software developer that released a piece of malware that compromised users personal data. Why can't that same accountability on behalf of the software community be expected on the mobile side?

What do readers think? Am I not thinking this through entirely? Am I expecting too much / too little?

iPhone App Review: MotionX Poker ($4.99)

RoccoVersion™: ★★★★★'s; Amazing attention to detail; Secondary goals other than winning a hand; Keeps track of statistics.

Full Version: Apple touts more than 1,000 applications on the App Store. Unfortunately many think that most of those apps are crap. For the most part I agree.

One of the gems to bubble to the top is MotionX Poker (iTS link). The attention to detail, both visually and audibly, is outstanding. The description given by the developer is minimal compared to the rich feature set of the game. Simply put, you shake the phone to roll your dice. Select your hand and shake again. But it is much more than this.

Dice and Tables

There are 39 beautifully rendered sets of dice that you can unlock as you play (you unlock dice by getting 5-of-a-kind). Even more impressive is that each set of dice makes a slightly different sound when you roll them. The "Nomad" dice, which appear to be made of wood, sound very different than the "Immortal" dice, presumably made of some type of metal. This attention to detail not only makes me want to continue to play, but also switch between sets of dice.



Along with the 39 sets of dice are five different tables to play on (you start with two playable tables and unlock the next three). Each new table allows you to bet more and in turn win more. They have put great time and effort into the detail of the tables as well. The Rooster table is covered with felt, and the sound reflects this. The dragon table on the other hand is more of a hard porcelain surface and the sound of the dice hitting it reflect that difference.

Gems

Another feature that isn't mentioned in the developer's description is "gems". Gems are acquired by reaching certain milestones such as "Win with every possible five of a kind", "Earn a comeback bonus and a low hand bonus with the same hand", or "Earn a straight bonus and a repeat hand bonus in the same hand".



These gems (there are 14 of them) keep the game interesting the more hours you play. You can even click the info button next to the gem to see how close you are to attaining your gem.



Statistics

Being able to keep track of your stats is a valuable feature in my mind. Keeping track of your win percentage, what your "luckiest" dice are, and how many winning days in a row you've had keep interest high and boredom low.



It is also a remind of how much time you have wasted building up your bankroll. As of this writing I have spent almost 8 hours trying to attain all 14 gems.

Overall

This game has been able to hold my interest more than any other application on the iPhone so far. With goals (other than winning) to strive for and amazing attention to detail this application is a must buy.

★★★★★ in my book.

Free Custom iPhone Ringtones using only iTunes

[via Ars via theAppleBlog]

...cut the track down to the specific 30 seconds you desire. After that, you just convert the clip to AAC, drop it on your desktop, delete the file from iTunes, change the extension to .m4a or m4r, and then drop it back into iTunes. It's not the easiest process, but at least it is free.

Old but worth posting again. This seems to be one of those things that popped up in an earlier version of iTunes, was broken in a minor update, and now works again.

iTunes to iPhone Streaming Patent

[via AppleInsider]

A new version of Apple's iPhone Software could provide iPhone and iPod touch users with access to their home computer's entire iTunes media library while on the go without having to first download those media items through a traditional sync, a new company filing has revealed.

Apple has filed multiple patents for ideas that have never seen light outside of the Apple Skunkworks™. Will this be one of them?

I Am Rich...er...Stupid

There has been a lot of speculation around yet another application that hit the App Store and was then removed. "I Am Rich" retailed for $999 and did nothing but sit on your phone. Just a pretty little icon. It was a way to "show your wealth".

Gruber and Kottke both have interesting comments on the subject. Kottke:

What I can't understand is: why should Apple pull I Am Rich from the App Store? They have to approve each app but presumably that's to guard against apps which crash iPhones, misrepresent their function, go against Apple's terms of service, or introduce malicious code to the iPhone.

At this point we don't know if it was the author or Apple that pulled the application.

Why would the author pull it? One thought is from all the bad press it was getting. The App Store is still new enough that new applications are being "reviewed" by bloggers that normally wouldn't touch the subject. Armin indicated in his description of I Am Rich that he would (or did) have other applications available for sale. He may have feared his other applications wouldn't sell as well with I Am Rich tainting his reputation.

One could also argue it was because of Apple's refund policy on purchases from the App Store portion of the iTunes Store. Gruber states:

If everyone who “buys” this app is then demanding a refund or credit card chargeback, you can see why Apple, or perhaps its author, Armin Heinrich, would take the app down.

I have not read through the license agreement that application publishers agree to when submitting their application to the store. One might assume that if a refund is given by Apple on an application purchase that Apple keeps their 30% share and the developer must refund the full amount to the customer. If this is the case there is no wonder Armin would want the application removed. One refund and he would be out $300. But, at this point, we don't know if that is how the process works. [UPDATE: Gruber confirms "that with the App Store, developers pay the refund fee."]

This does bring up another interesting question (which may be answered in the iTunes Store EULA): Are all sales final from the App Store? If not, and a refund is issued, would Apple remove the application from your phone (you got your money back, they get their app back)? We already know Apple has method to remove "malicious App Store applications. Could something similar be used for refunds?

While some say it is the price we pay for having the App Store available on the iPhone, I don't like the thought of Apple being able to remove items I have paid for at any time.

Finally, here is a screenshot of a review from a supposed "buyer" of the app:

Really? I call fake. Either that or stupid. It is not Apple's place to decide if an application is worthy of being on the store. They should vet apps for malicious code and content (porn, etc.) and then let customers decide if they are worth paying for.