Apple

Shareholders Throw the Book at Apple for Ebook Price-fix Drama
September 8, 2014

Apple is once again being sued by its own investors - this time they're irked by the ebook price-fixing brouhaha.

The lawsuit alleges the iThing maker part in the scandal harmed its reputation and thus shareholders' investments. According to a court filing obtained by journalist Jeff Roberts, Apple chief Tim Cook, executive Eddy Cue, and the board of directors are named in the class-action suit, filed on behalf of Apple's shareholders.

L.A. Superintendent Deasy Defends Pearson Contract From 'Political' Criticism
September 3, 2014

Superintendent John Deasy has launched a vigorous defense of his oft-maligned initiative to give all Los Angeles Unified School District students iPads, penning a six-page letter to the L.A. school board in response to mounting criticism that the high-profile technology initiative was flawed by conflicts of interest, possible manipulation of the procurement process, and ongoing implementation woes. In the letter, Deasy defended the relationships that he and senior staff had with Apple and Pearson, the vendors who last year won a $30 million contract to provide

Kobo: Technology Takes a Back Seat in the Ebook Game
August 27, 2014

For years, people have been forecasting the death of the e-reader. Ever since more flashy, multi-function tablets became mainstream - prompted by the launch of Apple's iPad in 2010 - black-and-white e-readers with their matt e-ink screens have come to be seen as poor relations.

Indeed, earlier this year, Sony was forced to admit defeat in the e-reader market, withdrawing its Librie series of devices from stores in the US, then from Europe and Australia, and finally its home turf, Japan.

The LA School iPad Scandal: What You Need To Know
August 27, 2014

A massive expansion of classroom technology has come to a grinding halt in Los Angeles.

The LA Unified School District had planned to buy some 700,000 iPads for its students and teachers. The Apple tablets would include learning software built by publishing giant Pearson. But Superintendent John Deasy announced earlier this week he is canceling the contract and restarting the bidding process.

The decision comes on the heels of an investigation by NPR member station KPCC, which obtained emails between Deasy and tech executives

Why Some Schools Are Selling All Their iPads
August 7, 2014

For an entire school year Hillsborough, New Jersey, educators undertook an experiment, asking: Is the iPad really the best device for interactive learning?

It's a question that has been on many minds since 2010, when Apple released the iPad and schools began experimenting with it. The devices came along at a time when many school reformers were advocating to replace textbooks with online curricula and add creative apps to lessons. Some teachers welcomed the shift, which allowed their students to replace old poster-board presentations with narrated screencasts

Japan’s Ameba Social Network Launches a Subscription Manga Service
July 31, 2014

Subscription ebook services are popping up all over, including in Japan. Earlier this week CyberAgent, owners of the popular Japanese blogging and social networking website Ameba, announced that they were expanding Ameba's ebookstore with a new subscription option. Launched in September 2013, the Dokusho no Ojikan desu ebookstore has a catalog of around 4 million titles (according to one source) from major Japanese publishers, including Kodansha, Shogakukan, Shueisha, and many others. The new subscription service offers a much smaller catalog of 60,000 titles

Amazon Just Revealed Exactly What's At Stake In Its Battle With Hachette
July 30, 2014

Amazon finally revealed the exact cause behind its long battle with "Big Five" book publisher Hachette in a public post on its Kindle forum: It's fighting for lower e-book prices and a 30% cut of sales. For the past several months, Amazon and Hachette have been having a very public pricing disagreement that left affected authors enraged and sparked a debate in the literary world about whether Amazon had too much power. We knew the battle was over e-books, but rumor had it that Amazon wanted a 50% cut of every sale, instead of 30%. 

Judge 'Concerned' Apple's $450 Million Ebook Settlement Could Hurt Consumers
July 25, 2014

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday expressed concern over a proposed $450 million settlement of claims Apple Inc conspired with five publishers to fix e-book prices, saying its provisions could drastically reduce money paid to consumers depending on appeals.

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan said she found "most troubling" a clause requiring Apple to pay only $70 million if an appeals court reversed her finding that the company is liable for antitrust violations and sent it back to her for further proceedings.

Apple Agrees to Conditional $450 Million Ebooks Antitrust Accord
July 17, 2014

Apple Inc has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve U.S. state and consumer claims the iPad manufacturer conspired with five major publishers to fix e-book prices, according to court records filed Wednesday.

The settlement, which would provide $400 million for consumers, is conditioned on the outcome of a pending appeal of a New York federal judge's ruling last year that Apple was liable for violating antitrust laws.