Here's one giant kick in the teeth for Apple and its App Store policies.
Amazon has today launched its new Amazon Kindle Cloud Reader web app, which offers the full Kindle library as an HTML web page, offering the ability to read, and, more importantly, buy books from your browser. That's more important because it means Amazon no longer has to abide by Apple's laws for the selling of content inside an iOS app.
It also means Apple loses out on 30% of the revenue...
Walmart's video streaming service Vudu's got a new app. But don't look for it in the App Store because you won't find it there. Instead, Vudu is a web app that can be accessed directly from your browser.
Being unwilling to play Apple's revenue sharing game, Vudu decided that going the browser way was going to be a better move, allowing them to save that 30% Apple collects from everything sold in the App Store...
We recently told you about Amazon's upcoming consumer tablet that's set to release later this year. The rumored device is expected to be a revolutionary upgrade to the current Kindle, and it will most likely be marketed to compete directly with Apple's iPad.
Amazon has its own music, movies, books, and online retail infrastructure to go head-to-head with Apple, but what it apparently won't have is similar multi-touch support. While the iPad's touchscreen display supports 10-finger gestures, Amazon's tablet will only support 2-finger gestures...
Google Books is the first major app to be booted from the App Store for not complying with Apple's latest in-app purchases policy. Apple's new rules, which went into affect on June 30, state that no app can provide a link to purchasing additional content outside of Apple's ecosystem.
Unfortunately, Google decided not to remove the link to its own eBooks store from its app, and it is no longer available as a result.
Google's app first hit the App Store in December, and along with Amazon's Kindle, it's one of the major rivals to Apple's own iBookstore. However, whereas Amazon's Kindle and a number of other applications have been updated to comply with Apple's terms, Google has so far decided not to bother...
Amazon is preparing its own consumer tablet for an October release, according to The Wall Street Journal. Reportedly, the online mega-merchant is going to introduce a 9-inch, Android-based tablet to go head to head with Apple's iPad.
With different Android tablets hitting the shelves left and right, it's interesting to see a company like Amazon enter the mix. Will Amazon's tablet be the iPad killer?
Most of you are probably aware of Apple's trademark lawsuit against Amazon. But if not, it's easy to catch up. The online retailer opened up a new app market earlier this year, entitled the Amazon Appstore for Android. Apple's legal team quickly filed a motion with the courts to ban the retailer from using their trademark.
Apple coined the term back in 2008 when they launched their infamous App Store, and they don't want customers confusing it with a 2nd rate offering. It looks like Apple is going to have to do better than that, as Bloomberg is reporting that the judge has stated that she will "probably" deny Apple's motion...
One thing is certain in the tech industry: If you ever become more successful than others feel you should be, you become an instant target for a lawsuit. And with the way some companies are performing right now, patent and trademark law seems to be a safe bet for a business.
A particular case that has been highlighted recently is the court battle between Apple and Amazon. While the Cupertino company is known for their fierce legal team, they may have a tough time proving that the term "App Store," is solely their property...
After months of rumors and speculation, Apple revealed the long-awaited iCloud last week. The free service replaces MobileMe for $99/year, and, considering of all the new features, it's expected to be quite popular.
iCloud is available to all Apple account holders, which Apple estimates to be in the 200 million range. So how can iCloud withstand all that traffic? Aside from their massive NC data center and 12 petabyte digital locker, Apple appears to be using rival cloud services...
There has been a huge increase in iCloud gossip over the last month or so. The music industry has been a fairly leaky faucet throughout these final weeks of Apple's rumored negotiations. We've now heard that 3 out of the 4 major music labels have agreed to Apple's iCloud conditions.
Though these extended talks have kept the Cupertino company from being the first to market, it's reported that their choice of acquiring the proper music licenses could take them to the top. If that's the case, then what could be so special about Apple's cloud service?
You have an old iPhone and don't know what to do with it? Instead of selling it on Craigslist or eBay, you might want to consider trading it in at Amazon. The company's new trade in program allows you to receive an Amazon gift card in exchange of your old iPhone, or any other device for that matter.
The process is pretty simple and straightforward too. Go to Amazon trade in page, select the device you want to trade in, print the label, ship it, and receive a gift card for the pre-determined amount...
Several online news outlets have been reporting in the last 12 hours that Apple has signed a deal with EMI Music, the fourth largest music group in the world. Apple definitely seems to be putting the final pieces in place for its cloud-based music service.
Reports surfaced last month that Apple had completed their cloud service, and had reached a licensing agreement with Warner Music Group. If the above information holds true, that just leaves Sony and Universal left, which sources say could sign on as early as next week...
So long MobileMe, it wasn't nice knowing ya.
You were overpriced, you didn't do much, and there were many other cloud services that simply did it better. Good riddance.
If you're feeling like I'm feeling, then the revelation that Amazon has halted orders of MobileMe sales is music to your ears.
Speaking of music, the worst kept secret in the industry will likely be replacing MobileMe as an all in one service that does music, document sharing, and more. Yep, I'm talking about iCloud...