Apple has denied updating the App Store rules regarding in-app purchases – and which Sony fell foul of with their Reader for iPhone app – claiming instead that it is merely enforcing a rule that has been in the guidelines for some time. “We have not changed our developer terms or guidelines,” Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told AllThingsD. “We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is also available to customers from within the app with in-app purchase.”
The rule in question is believed to be 11.2:
11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an app will be rejected
It, along with Muller’s statement, implies that Amazon could continue to sell ebooks via its current method – opening up the regular Amazon webpage in the Safari browser – but if so it would also be required to offer an internal system using Apple’s in-app purchasing system. Since IAP items are treated as just more app store content by Apple, that might mean Amazon had to individually submit each ebook for approval, as well as handing over 30-percent of the takings in an iTunes tithe. It’s also unclear whether Amazon would then allow Kindle users to re-download – from their own servers – the IAP content on Kindle ereaders or non-iOS versions of the app.
If anything, the clarification has made the situation a little more confusing; Apple looks to be pushing for a bigger cut of the content pie, and since Sony’s Reader app looks to have used the same browser-based purchasing system as Amazon’s, that implies Amazon may well have to tweak the Kindle app too. Apple has also been using rule 11.2 to crack-down on emagazine subscriptions; according to Monday Note, publishers have been told that they have a “grace period” up until June 30 2011 to enable the required IAP support:
“For existing apps already on the App Store, we are providing a grace period to bring your app into compliance with this guideline. To ensure your app remains on the App Store, please submit an update that uses the In App Purchase API for purchasing content, by June 30, 2011″
Apple has rejected Sony’s Reader for iPhone application, with the New York Times [subscription required] reporting that Apple now insists that from now on all in-app purchases must go through its own systems. According to the report, developers have been told that they can “no longer sell content, like e-books, within their apps, or let customers have access to purchases they have made outside the App Store.” It’s unclear at this stage what this means to existing titles, like Amazon’s Kindle app, which allows users to load ebooks bought on other Kindle devices or software into the iPad version.
Currently, ebook purchases made for Kindle on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad are made not using Apple’s in-app purchase system – which would see Amazon handing over a 30-percent tithe on all transactions – but by loading up the Amazon store page in the browser. New titles can then be downloaded in the Kindle app itself; alternatively, all ebooks purchased from Amazon are accesible in a cloud store, even if they were not bought in the iOS browser.
It seems that Apple is changing the rules, however, so as to ensure that it gets a share of the purchase action in future. A similar push was reported back in January, when magazine and newspaper publishers were told that they would no longer be allowed to bundle inclusive digital access to iOS versions of their content with a print subscription.
According to a Sony statement, the company is “exploring other avenues to bring the Reader experience to Apple mobile devices” but has “reached an impasse at this time”:
Reader for iPhone
We would like to update everyone on the status of our Reader™ for iPhone® mobile application. We created an app that we’re very excited about, which includes all the features you’ve come to expect from a mobile reading application – including access to your existing collection, synching with your Reader Daily Edition™ and purchasing new content as is possible on other mobile platforms.
Unfortunately, with little notice, Apple changed the way it enforces its rules and this will prevent the current version of the Reader™ for iPhone® from being available in the app store. We opened a dialog with Apple to see if we can come up with an equitable resolution but reached an impasse at this time. We’re exploring other avenues to bring the Reader experience to Apple mobile devices. We know that many of you are eagerly awaiting the application and we appreciate your continued patience.
Nintendo has confirmed that, while the new Nintendo 3DS will arrive in the US on March 27 and in Europe on March 25, 3D gamers will have to wait longer for the 3DS eShop. CEO Satoru Iwata told GamesIndustry that not only will the game store be delayed until May 2011, the 3DS will also not have a browser to begin with.
Neither was initially expected to be preloaded onto the 3DS, but Nintendo had previously expected to have the eShop and browser ready alongside the commercial release of the console. Now, the download store will be “drastically redesigned” versus the existing DSiWare store, which Iwata criticized as slow and inefficient at highlighting the best titles. “”It is critical in digital software distribution” Iwata suggested “that the software available there won’t be buried and go unnoticed.”
Google is looking to intensify its internal work on mobile app development, in a play to better challenge Apple in software for smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. According to the WSJ‘s sources, Google plans to recruit software engineers, product managers, user-interface experts and others to help bolster the Android Market with quality apps; however, insiders also claim that not all of the titles will be Android-exclusive.
Product manager Benjamin Ling is believed to be leading the recruitment drive, and Google apparently intends to fund small groups producing anything from games to LBS apps and more. It remains to be seen whether Android developers will lose out as part of the new strategy; both they and Google itself have been disappointed by paid app sales in the Android Market, and having the search giant wade in may not make that proposition any easier.
BEIJING, China (AVING) — AsiaInfo-Linkage, (“AsiaInfo-Linkage” and the “Company”), a leading provider of telecommunications software solutions and related services, today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a new stock repurchase program, under which AsiaInfo-Linkage may repurchase up to US$60.0 million in aggregate value of the outstanding common stock of the Company.
Under the program, the Company may, from time to time for a period of twelve months, depending on market conditions, share price and other factors, make one or more purchases, on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, of up to US$60.0 million in aggregate value of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Such purchases under the program will be made i…
SAN FRANCISCO, USA (AVING Special Report on ‘Mac World 2011′) — At the MacWorld Conference and Expo this week, Smartvue will introduce Smartvue S9, the ultimate all-in-one wireless HD video surveillance solution that works with almost any Mac, PC, mobile or tablet device.
“Smartvue S9 makes amazing video surveillance technology elegantly simple,” said Martin Renkis, Smartvue’s Founder & CEO. “Our patented technologies integrate high-definition video, advanced wireless and intuitive software to make it easy for anyone to monitor what’s important to them.”
Smartvue S9 Features Include:
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Skype has stripped the beta label from its Skype for Mac app, and in the process made group video calling a premium – i.e. paid – feature. $4.99 gets you a day’s use of group video, or there’s a monthly subscription for $8.99. Meanwhile, Skype has also slimmed down the UI and stuffed more of IM conversations into the screen at any one time.
There’s also the return of full-screen video calls, and an easily revealed chat pane for when you’re in the midst of them. The new UI changes are welcome, certainly, but group video calls going premium will be a disappointment to many. You can download Skype for Mac here.
LOS ANGELES, USA (AVING) — Real Business Solutions, the maker of W2 Mate software, reminds businesses and tax professionals of the W2 and 1099 filing due date, which is January 31, 2011. W2 Mate, W-2/1099 filing system, is packed with features that make it easier than ever to create, print, import, process and E file 1099 forms and w2 forms.
“W2 and 1099 Electronic Filing is a chore, but it doesn’t have to be. This is why we built W2 Mate. A powerful, yet very affordable 1099 software that takes the complexity out of year-end-reporting by providing the right tools to E-File 1099 forms with the IRS and E-File W2 forms with the SSA.” says W2 Mate product manager Nancy Walters.
W2 Mate W2 1099 software offers support for paperless (electronic) an…
CALIFORNIA, USA (AVING) — NetSuite, the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP software suites, today announced a new version of NetSuite Software Company Edition designed for software companies grappling with the challenges of managing an array of varying revenue models, including the most complex processes for supporting recurring revenue management streams. The new software brings automation and real-time visibility to the management of renewals, billing and complex contract management. By unifying these typically disparate processes into one software product, NetSuite delivers end-to-end contract renewal management software that reduces errors, enhances close rates, limits churn and brings a new level of efficiency to billing and reven…
MARYLAND, USA (AVING) — Indicative of the growing movement toward digital textbooks, Florida has approved the Discovery Education Science Elementary Techbook for Florida for classroom use. Florida joins Indiana, Louisiana and Oregon in adopting Discovery Education’s digital science service as the core instructional resource for elementary science instruction. These approvals, through state textbook adoption processes, empower educators with dynamic digital resources that meet the evolving learning styles of today’s students. Supporting the creation of 21st Century learning environments, the Discovery Education Techbook leverages children’s natural interest in technology to ignite a love of science.
Discovery Education is a division of Discovery Commu…
Apple has denied updating the App Store rules regarding in-app purchases – and which Sony fell foul of with their Reader for iPhone app – claiming instead that it is merely enforcing a rule that has been in the guidelines for some time. “We have not changed our developer terms or guidelines,” Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told AllThingsD. “We are now requiring that if an app offers customers the ability to purchase books outside of the app, that the same option is also available to customers from within the app with in-app purchase.”
Apple has rejected Sony’s Reader for iPhone application, with the 
