New sports channels signal shift in Apple TV
It's becoming obvious that Apple TV is not a hobby anymore.The company had famously referred to its set-top device that way when it premiered four years ago as a way of keeping expectations low. But with today's software update, Apple is being more aggressive about making Apple TV competitive with its set-top rivals. As part of the iOS 4.3 update released today, Apple TV owners will now have access to MLB.TV and NBA League Pass. Both are subscription services for streaming live games over the Web, and like Netflix, which is already on Apple TV, customers have to enter their existing account to gain access via Apple TV. It's the first time Apple has featured live sports on Apple TV, and with the addition of these channels, Apple is also signaling that something else may be in the works: a more app-like approach to the device.Until now, Apple's set-top basically did three things: allow you to rent or buy iTunes content (that stayed on Apple TV only), stream Netflix (if you're a subscriber), and stream iTunes content from other devices. Those are great, but it still placed Apple TV behind the offerings of set-top devices like Roku, Xbox, and PlayStation 3. Besides Netflix, Roku, PS3, and Xbox have integrated Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu Plus, and scores of other sources of Hollywood content. Apple wants customers to buy iTunes content, so it's not likely we'll see it add many more ways to watch non-iTunes content beyond big name players like Netflix. But the sports angle is a big deal for cord-cutters--those of us who are trying to consume all of our entertainment content on TV without a cable TV subscription. Up until today Apple TV had no sports offering. In terms of major sports, Roku has long had MLB.TV and NHL GameCenter Live, Xbox 360 has ESPN live streaming and MLB, and the PlayStation 3 has MLB.TV and NHL.Today's update makes Apple TV a lot more competitive in comparison to what those other set-top devices offer. So while Apple TV might be late getting into the sports streaming game, this is a solid start, and probably (hopefully?) means we'll see more.App-le TV?It's something we've wondered about since the new-and-improved $99 device arrived last fall: would Apple TV eventually be able to run iOS apps, thus expanding the platform's reach and giving new opportunities to game developers and app makers? Games on Apple TV would make a lot of sense, as would many other apps.But when Steve Jobs introduced the reimagined Apple TV last fall--a smaller, sleeker device with a lower price tag and Netflix access--he specifically noted that it was running a version of iOS, but not the full-fledged system that appears on iPhones, iPads, and the iPod Touch. While Netflix, MLB.TV, and NBA League Pass are being positioned as channels on Apple TV--you can't download them from any sort of app store, they're only available via this software update--they're really not any different in how they work than the Netflix app on the iPhone or iPad, or the MLB Game Day app on the same devices. MLB's Game Day app has always been very popular in the App Store, so if these sports channels do well on Apple TV, it's hard to see why Apple wouldn't someday want to give customers more variety of channels or apps to choose to add to their Apple TV.
Boundless textbooks get paid study guides, iOS apps
Boundless textbooks get paid study guides, iOS apps
Free-textbook service Boundless is delving into paid services this week, all designed to more fiercely compete with textbooks from major publishers.On Tuesday the Boston-based company rolled out what it considers the second phase of its service: textbooks that can very nearly mirror the titles you'd get from major publishers, but at $20 a piece.These titles are effectively the same thing the company's offered since last year, but they're specifically reordered to match up with mainstream textbooks. Users can search for the title of the major publisher's book they've been assigned to buy, and get a version from Boundless instead. Boundless is coupling this with new study tools like built-in quizzes and flashcards, that CEO and co-founder Ariel Diaz says can lock in information, and change dynamically based on how students are doing. That means if you're totally bombing a series of flashcards, you can go back and reread -- or if you're breezing through, it will shorten the quiz altogether. An example of what a shopper who's looking for a textbook alternative would find on Boundless' site.CNETAlongside the launch, the company has also rolled out native applications for iOS (iTunes) for people who want to access books outside of the browser. These apps aren't able to store a title offline, a feature that Diaz told CNET could be added down the line. On the flip side, he said, the company is getting lots of helpful data about sections students are highlighting, and what they're reading at any given time, information Boundless can use to rework its titles. The backdrop to all this is a lawsuit between Boundless and three major academic book publishers, who sued last March. Those companies, which include Pearson, Cengage, and MacMillan, claim that Boundless is violating copyright law by offering works that are "overwhelmingly similar" to their own textbooks. Boundless, on the other hand, has argued it's created the content. Diaz said the lawsuit did not deter the company from venturing out into a paid service, adding that study tools seemed like the next logical step to make Boundless' products more useful and competitive.This brings up the question of whether Boundless will go beyond these entry-level textbooks and into the types of titles students might buy at higher course levels. Diaz maintains that the entry level is the company's sweet spot, and that courses at higher levels tend to be far more diverse in the reading materials they rely on, making it harder to offer something that fits the greatest amount of users. The new tools came out Tuesday, and the company is still offering its library of 21 "open textbooks" for free -- just without the study guide features.Here's the company's new pitch:
Free-textbook service Boundless is delving into paid services this week, all designed to more fiercely compete with textbooks from major publishers.On Tuesday the Boston-based company rolled out what it considers the second phase of its service: textbooks that can very nearly mirror the titles you'd get from major publishers, but at $20 a piece.These titles are effectively the same thing the company's offered since last year, but they're specifically reordered to match up with mainstream textbooks. Users can search for the title of the major publisher's book they've been assigned to buy, and get a version from Boundless instead. Boundless is coupling this with new study tools like built-in quizzes and flashcards, that CEO and co-founder Ariel Diaz says can lock in information, and change dynamically based on how students are doing. That means if you're totally bombing a series of flashcards, you can go back and reread -- or if you're breezing through, it will shorten the quiz altogether. An example of what a shopper who's looking for a textbook alternative would find on Boundless' site.CNETAlongside the launch, the company has also rolled out native applications for iOS (iTunes) for people who want to access books outside of the browser. These apps aren't able to store a title offline, a feature that Diaz told CNET could be added down the line. On the flip side, he said, the company is getting lots of helpful data about sections students are highlighting, and what they're reading at any given time, information Boundless can use to rework its titles. The backdrop to all this is a lawsuit between Boundless and three major academic book publishers, who sued last March. Those companies, which include Pearson, Cengage, and MacMillan, claim that Boundless is violating copyright law by offering works that are "overwhelmingly similar" to their own textbooks. Boundless, on the other hand, has argued it's created the content. Diaz said the lawsuit did not deter the company from venturing out into a paid service, adding that study tools seemed like the next logical step to make Boundless' products more useful and competitive.This brings up the question of whether Boundless will go beyond these entry-level textbooks and into the types of titles students might buy at higher course levels. Diaz maintains that the entry level is the company's sweet spot, and that courses at higher levels tend to be far more diverse in the reading materials they rely on, making it harder to offer something that fits the greatest amount of users. The new tools came out Tuesday, and the company is still offering its library of 21 "open textbooks" for free -- just without the study guide features.Here's the company's new pitch:
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