Plus Oculus Rift co-founder dies, another Galaxy S4 on the way, visualising music on Facebook, and more
A burst of 8 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
*$42 Billion: what Apple could owe in royalties as a truly "Pureplay" Webcaster, if playing by the Letter of the Law >> Rockonomic*
The newswires are all a flutter with rumors of Apple's iRadio deals with both Universal and Warner music. Under the Warner deal, the rumored rate (according to Billboard) appears to be $0.0016 per stream plus some portion or variation of ad revenue (even though the $0.0016 would be paid, at least in part, out of ad revenue).
Billboard and other sources have positioned these iRadio rates against those per stream rates paid by "Pureplay" webcasters such as Pandora. Unfortunately, these sources have, by and large, underestimated the true obligations that an Apple iRadio would face if it were truly to pay royalties as a Pureplay webcaster.
Enter the letter of the Law.
Part of why it's been signing (what are sure to be) flat-rate deals. As of course Google will have done - it won't have wanted to open itself to the liability of every Android user streaming from its music service.
--------------------
*Mapping Music on Facebook >> Vimeo*
More than 110 million songs, albums and radio stations have been played 40 billion times through apps integrated with Facebook's Open Graph. So what does it look like when millions of sound waves travel through Facebook?
Turn that racket down in New York! (Thanks @beardyweirdy666 for the link.)
--------------------
*I ain't gonna work on YouTube's farm no more >> LAUNCH*
Jason Calacanis (who may be a familiar name to some):
YouTube is amazing for marketers, individuals and companies seeking to reach a large audience. But as a business proposition, it is a trap.
The five reasons I decided against taking money from YouTube:
1. The absurd 45% YouTube tax
2. A lack of marketing support
3. No direct sales force at YouTube
3. $0.20 to $0.30 on the production dollar in support (according to sources)
5. Trust
YouTube takes 45% of revenues? (Thanks @HotSoup for the link.)
--------------------
*Some thoughts on mobile >> Chris Dixon*
He's a US-based venture capitalist:
Fans of Apple and Google have been arguing lately about which company is winning mobile. Apple has more profits, but Android has more users. But what really matters is when and if developers switch over to developing for Android first, or even Android only. For now, iOS users tend to monetize much better than Android users, more than making up for the smaller user base. The switch to Android first hasn't happened yet, but at least based on conversations I've had with entrepreneurs, it seems likely to happen in the next year or two.
- Mobile has had a big effect on b2b software. People want to use their personal iOS/Android devices at work, and many people now have computers with them all the time who didn't before. This has created opportunities for 1) traditional b2b software that is mobile friendly, 2) companies that support mobile devices for businesses (e.g. mobile security, compliance etc), 3) brand new categories of software for users who previously used pencil and paper for various business tasks.
As is pointed out in the comments, if you're an app developer in India, you're already going to be Android-only. Part of the problem about (the extremely tedious) "winning" arguments is that they don't take account of regional variation.
--------------------
*Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom confirmed by Samsung ahead of official debut >> BGR*
According to a report from gadget blog TechTastic, Samsung Kazakhstan accidentally mentioned the Galaxy S4 Zoom and Galaxy Note III on a webpage pitching its special VIP service. The S4 Zoom will be among several variants of the flagship Galaxy S4 that Samsung is launching this year, and recent reports suggest it will feature a 16-megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom and image stabilization, a 4.3in qHD display and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The Galaxy S4 Zoom is expected to be unveiled during Samsung's press conference on 20 June.
These variants are all going to be split out individually in giving the total shipments, right?
--------------------
*Oculus VR co-founder, 33, killed by speeding car >> CNET News*
Andrew Scott Reisse, co-founder of the company that made the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset, was struck and killed while walking in a crosswalk Thursday, ABC has reported.
The 33-year-old co-founder and lead engineer at Oculus VR in Irvine, Calif., was hit in Santa Ana, where he was a resident, by a speeding car being pursued by police, KABC TV Los Angeles said.
"Andrew was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, an avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, a true loyal friend, and a founding member of our close-knit Oculus family," the company said in a statement.
According to police, a Dodge Charger being driven by 21-year-old Victor Sanchez and two other suspects in an unnamed alleged criminal activity slammed into two vehicles during the pursuit before hitting Reisse at Flower Street and MacArthur Boulevard.
--------------------
*Advance of Android eats into developer loyalty to Apple >> FT.com*
Tim Bradshaw:
The imminent milestone that total app downloads for Android devices will exceed those for iPhone or iPad has been a long time coming. Android smartphones began outselling iPhones in the first half of 2011. The lag in app downloads reflects nagging concern for app makers: that Android owners do not use as many apps as owners of the more expensive iPhone – and pay for even fewer.
"The sheer weight of Android units will generate more downloads, but on a per device basis the iOS devices do seem to consume more apps," said Horace Dediu, mobile industry analyst at Asymco, in a recent note, "and the gap is not narrowing".
Mr Dediu estimates that more than 80 apps are downloaded per Apple device sold, compared with fewer than 55 for Android.
A minor quibble is that nobody in the story says that the approaching parity is eating into developer loyalty to iOS; the example given of Minecraft (24% of iOS players buy the premium version v 7% of Android) suggests the opposite.
--------------------
*AnandTech | The ASUS Transformer Book Trio: Atom + Haswell, Android + Windows 8*
ASUS just announced the Transformer Book Trio - what it is calling the world's first three-in-one notebook, tablet and desktop PC. In a move that's sure to keep Microsoft grumpy, the TF Book Trio runs both Windows 8 and Android. It looks like the 1080p IPS display portion of the detachable notebook is an Android tablet, while the base runs Windows 8.
Since both OSes are running at the same time, just on different pieces of hardware, you can switch between OSes instantaneously.
No price or date given. Comment on Twitter: "this is like the episode of the Simpsons where Homer designs the car."
--------------------
You can follow Guardian Technology's linkbucket on Pinboard
To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service. Reported by guardian.co.uk 17 hours ago.
A burst of 8 links for you to chew over, as picked by the Technology team
*$42 Billion: what Apple could owe in royalties as a truly "Pureplay" Webcaster, if playing by the Letter of the Law >> Rockonomic*
The newswires are all a flutter with rumors of Apple's iRadio deals with both Universal and Warner music. Under the Warner deal, the rumored rate (according to Billboard) appears to be $0.0016 per stream plus some portion or variation of ad revenue (even though the $0.0016 would be paid, at least in part, out of ad revenue).
Billboard and other sources have positioned these iRadio rates against those per stream rates paid by "Pureplay" webcasters such as Pandora. Unfortunately, these sources have, by and large, underestimated the true obligations that an Apple iRadio would face if it were truly to pay royalties as a Pureplay webcaster.
Enter the letter of the Law.
Part of why it's been signing (what are sure to be) flat-rate deals. As of course Google will have done - it won't have wanted to open itself to the liability of every Android user streaming from its music service.
--------------------
*Mapping Music on Facebook >> Vimeo*
More than 110 million songs, albums and radio stations have been played 40 billion times through apps integrated with Facebook's Open Graph. So what does it look like when millions of sound waves travel through Facebook?
Turn that racket down in New York! (Thanks @beardyweirdy666 for the link.)
--------------------
*I ain't gonna work on YouTube's farm no more >> LAUNCH*
Jason Calacanis (who may be a familiar name to some):
YouTube is amazing for marketers, individuals and companies seeking to reach a large audience. But as a business proposition, it is a trap.
The five reasons I decided against taking money from YouTube:
1. The absurd 45% YouTube tax
2. A lack of marketing support
3. No direct sales force at YouTube
3. $0.20 to $0.30 on the production dollar in support (according to sources)
5. Trust
YouTube takes 45% of revenues? (Thanks @HotSoup for the link.)
--------------------
*Some thoughts on mobile >> Chris Dixon*
He's a US-based venture capitalist:
Fans of Apple and Google have been arguing lately about which company is winning mobile. Apple has more profits, but Android has more users. But what really matters is when and if developers switch over to developing for Android first, or even Android only. For now, iOS users tend to monetize much better than Android users, more than making up for the smaller user base. The switch to Android first hasn't happened yet, but at least based on conversations I've had with entrepreneurs, it seems likely to happen in the next year or two.
- Mobile has had a big effect on b2b software. People want to use their personal iOS/Android devices at work, and many people now have computers with them all the time who didn't before. This has created opportunities for 1) traditional b2b software that is mobile friendly, 2) companies that support mobile devices for businesses (e.g. mobile security, compliance etc), 3) brand new categories of software for users who previously used pencil and paper for various business tasks.
As is pointed out in the comments, if you're an app developer in India, you're already going to be Android-only. Part of the problem about (the extremely tedious) "winning" arguments is that they don't take account of regional variation.
--------------------
*Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom confirmed by Samsung ahead of official debut >> BGR*
According to a report from gadget blog TechTastic, Samsung Kazakhstan accidentally mentioned the Galaxy S4 Zoom and Galaxy Note III on a webpage pitching its special VIP service. The S4 Zoom will be among several variants of the flagship Galaxy S4 that Samsung is launching this year, and recent reports suggest it will feature a 16-megapixel camera with 10x optical zoom and image stabilization, a 4.3in qHD display and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The Galaxy S4 Zoom is expected to be unveiled during Samsung's press conference on 20 June.
These variants are all going to be split out individually in giving the total shipments, right?
--------------------
*Oculus VR co-founder, 33, killed by speeding car >> CNET News*
Andrew Scott Reisse, co-founder of the company that made the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset, was struck and killed while walking in a crosswalk Thursday, ABC has reported.
The 33-year-old co-founder and lead engineer at Oculus VR in Irvine, Calif., was hit in Santa Ana, where he was a resident, by a speeding car being pursued by police, KABC TV Los Angeles said.
"Andrew was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, an avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, a true loyal friend, and a founding member of our close-knit Oculus family," the company said in a statement.
According to police, a Dodge Charger being driven by 21-year-old Victor Sanchez and two other suspects in an unnamed alleged criminal activity slammed into two vehicles during the pursuit before hitting Reisse at Flower Street and MacArthur Boulevard.
--------------------
*Advance of Android eats into developer loyalty to Apple >> FT.com*
Tim Bradshaw:
The imminent milestone that total app downloads for Android devices will exceed those for iPhone or iPad has been a long time coming. Android smartphones began outselling iPhones in the first half of 2011. The lag in app downloads reflects nagging concern for app makers: that Android owners do not use as many apps as owners of the more expensive iPhone – and pay for even fewer.
"The sheer weight of Android units will generate more downloads, but on a per device basis the iOS devices do seem to consume more apps," said Horace Dediu, mobile industry analyst at Asymco, in a recent note, "and the gap is not narrowing".
Mr Dediu estimates that more than 80 apps are downloaded per Apple device sold, compared with fewer than 55 for Android.
A minor quibble is that nobody in the story says that the approaching parity is eating into developer loyalty to iOS; the example given of Minecraft (24% of iOS players buy the premium version v 7% of Android) suggests the opposite.
--------------------
*AnandTech | The ASUS Transformer Book Trio: Atom + Haswell, Android + Windows 8*
ASUS just announced the Transformer Book Trio - what it is calling the world's first three-in-one notebook, tablet and desktop PC. In a move that's sure to keep Microsoft grumpy, the TF Book Trio runs both Windows 8 and Android. It looks like the 1080p IPS display portion of the detachable notebook is an Android tablet, while the base runs Windows 8.
Since both OSes are running at the same time, just on different pieces of hardware, you can switch between OSes instantaneously.
No price or date given. Comment on Twitter: "this is like the episode of the Simpsons where Homer designs the car."
--------------------
You can follow Guardian Technology's linkbucket on Pinboard
To suggest a link, either add it below or tag it with @gdntech on the free Delicious service. Reported by guardian.co.uk 17 hours ago.