Linked List: February 21, 2011

Monday, 21 February 2011

Comprehensive Comparison of iPhone Notes Apps ★

Dr. Drang compares Simplenote, Elements, PlainText, and Nebulous Notes.

Update: Fireballed; cached version here.

Motorola Xoom Will Ship Without Flash Support ★

But they’re advertising it as “Fully Flash-enabled”, with a footnote claiming “Adobe Flash expected Spring 2011”. Expected by whom?

My guess: Flash is killing battery life, so they want the initial reviews of the Xoom to be based on a Flash-free experience.

Readability iOS App Rejected for Violating New Subscription Content Guidelines ★

Richard Ziade of Readability, in an “Open Letter to Apple” regarding their app’s rejection:

We’re obviously disappointed by this decision, and surprised by the broad language. By including “functionality, or services,” it’s clear that you intend to pursue any subscription-based apps, not merely those of services serving up content. Readability’s model is unique in that 70% of our service fees go directly to writers and publishers. If we implemented In App purchasing, your 30% cut drastically undermines a key premise of how Readability works.

I can see how many people, including content providers like Readability, wish that Apple had not instituted these new rules. But, given these rules, how can anyone be surprised by this rejection? Readability’s business model is to charge a subscription fee, keep 30 percent, and pass 70 percent along to the writers/publishers of the articles being read by Readability users. Sound familiar?

Maybe I’m missing something, but these guys claiming to be surprised and disappointed by Apple’s insistence on a 30 percent cut of subscriptions when their own business model is to take a 30 percent cut of subscriptions strikes me as rich. And how can they claim that Readability isn’t “serving up content”? That’s exactly what Readability does. What they’re pissed about is that Apple has the stronger hand. Readability needs Apple to publish an app in the App Store. Apple doesn’t need Readability.

The Day the Movies Died ★

Mark Harris for GQ on the state of Hollywood. Depressing but unsurprising.

Magazine Publishers Want Data ★

David Carr:

Publishers say their objections are less about the steep revenue split than the lack of data. But publishers who sit out Apple subscriptions will be bypassing a huge embedded base of not only iPad users, but also the very people who have already shown a willingness to pay for content. It’s worth pointing out that publishers are already in the business of selling products to consumers they have no data on: it’s called the newsstand. Cosmopolitan and People know nothing about the millions who buy their magazines at retail stores, and that doesn’t stop their respective publishers from making a ton of money there.

Yahoo Engineer Calls Out Flickr for Lack of HTML5 Video Support ★

It’s embarrassing that they still require Flash.