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Fiction Lovers: A Kindle, an iPad and a Hard Place

Shannon Hassett :: Monday, February 8th, 2010 3:15 pm

It’s a confusing time to be a book, and maybe even more so a reader. Digital or hard copy? Kindle or iPad? Moral opposition to digitalization of literature, or admission of defeat and support of (now) underdog Kindle? Is Kindle playing the underdog card unjustly? The answers offer no sigh of relief, posing questions that simply delve deeper into the the world of digital books and leave paper bound backers with nowhere to turn but the one place from which they hoped to hide. MORE »

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Mad TV Sort of Predicts the Future, Apple Continues to Take Over the World

Amy Laviero :: Friday, February 5th, 2010 1:15 pm

I don’t think Mad TV, the red-headed stepchild of sketch comedies, has ever been funny. I never understood Ms. Swan and thought Stewart was just plain creepy. Regardless, it seems as though it inadvertently predicted the future back in ‘05 with the i-Pad sketch. MORE »

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Apple iPad Weighs In

Adam Kearney :: Thursday, January 28th, 2010 4:15 pm

So, as most computer enthusiasts already know, the Apple tablet was unveiled at a conference yesterday, and it has been dubbed the iPad, which to me sounds like a way-too-high-tech feminine hygiene product.  Apple has a splendid page devoted to the device, complete with giant color photos and videos, while PC World gives it some tough love with their 10-point grading system.  With a 9.7 inch screen and weighing 1.5 pounds, it could be mistaken for a steroidal iPhone, or a netbook with the screen ripped off, but you’ll definitely build some muscle mass trying to hold it for an hour.

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Apple Tablet Unleashed (tomorrow?)

Adam Kearney :: Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 12:30 pm

Money says the wizards of Cupertino will show off the prototype Apple tablet at a conference tomorrow at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the world will get a glimpse of the gadget with the potential to destroy print publishing as we know it.  All we’ve had to go on so far are rumors about what the device will look like, how much it will cost, and what its capabilities are, but tomorrow all will be revealed (hopefully). MORE »

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New York Times To Charge Frequent Readers

Adam Kearney :: Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 2:05 pm

The New York Times has decided to begin charging repeat visitors to the website before the beginning of next year.  This is likely to scare off some of the less frequent readers, so they have designed a plan where regular visitors would need to pay a subscription price, but those finding articles on search engines would be able to read for free, and keep generating advertising revenue. MORE »

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iTunes Slowly Taking Over

Isaac Lekach :: Thursday, December 10th, 2009 1:30 pm

How long until we start referring to Steve Jobs as Big Brother? Oh, I kid. Apple’s latest acquisition isn’t that subversive. Click here to read the full report. If you’re familiar with Pitchfork, which you probably do, you’re already familiar with the web-based music servicing Lala. Well, Apple owns it now. Smart right? Swallow the competition Jobs! All this begs the question, where was Bill Gates when Apple was just a fledgling brand? Way to blow that one Willy.

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Music Subscriptions Are Growing Fast

Stephen Blackwell :: Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 10:45 am

Two years ago Rick Rubin was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. The profile covered multiple issues (his days at Def Jam, his sleep schedule, his meditation, and so on) but the angle was business: Rubin claimed that listening to music was well on its way to becoming a subscription service like cable television. He warned labels they had better figure a business plan out fast because only die-hard fans would continue purchasing physical media. There’s an 88% chance he’ll be right. MORE »

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