67: I Would Have Brought a Cannon

Jim and Dan discuss Apple's September 10th event, a lower-cost iPhone, Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update, App Store vs. Google Play revenue, and more.

Links for this episode:

• Apple’s rumored September 10 iPhone event
  Apple is expected to unveil its next iPhone at a special event on Sept. 10
• Surface RT Class Action Lawsuit Launched Against Microsoft | Paul Thurrotts WinInfo content from Windows IT Pro
  A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Microsoft on behalf of its shareholders, alleging that the firm lied about the financial performance of its Surface RT tablet. The surprise revelation that sales were much less than expected came months later than required by law, the suit says, and immediately “eviscerated” $34 billion of Microsoft’s market value, materially impacting shareholders.
• A Brief History of Apple's iWatch - Anil Dash
  
• Apple selling 'Lord of the Rings,' 'The Matrix' trilogy, and other complete series starting at $9.99 | The Verge
  
• Windows 8.1 will launch on October 18th, available a day earlier on Windows Store | The Verge
  Microsoft continues to finalize its Windows 8.1 update, but the company revealed today that it plans to make it available on October 18th. The free update will be listed in the Windows Store for existing Windows 8 users at 7AM ET on October 17th, with boxed copies, new hardware, and a full retail release on October 18th. The final copy of Windows 8, known as Release to Manufacturing (RTM), is expected to be made available to PC makers and partners in the coming weeks. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans previously revealed to The Verge that Microsoft plans to update and patch Windows 8.1 in the weeks leading up to the October release.
• Daring Fireball: The Case for a New Lower-Cost iPhone
  If Apple does unveil an iPhone 5C, I expect them to concurrently abandon the iPhones 4 and 4S. Their three pricing tiers for the next year would be a new iPhone 5S at the high end, today’s iPhone 5 in the mid-range, and the new 5C at the low end.1 This way, all new iPhones would sport 16:9 aspect ratio displays, and all would have Lightning adapter ports. Adios both to 3:2 displays and the grody old 30-pin port.2The other factor is that I think Apple needs to push the low end of the iPhone lineup even lower. Today they’re primarily selling the low end models as free-with-contract devices. Apple has no iPhone that competes well in non-subsidized markets. In the U.S. and other subsidized markets, I expect the 5C to be sold just like the iPhone 4 is today: “free” with a contract. But in non-subsidized markets, I expect the 5C to sell at lower prices than an unsubsidized iPhone 4 does today.
• Apple acquires second screen TV startup Matcha.tv (scoop) | VentureBeat
  Apple’s latest acquisition is the recently-shut down second-screen TV/video app Matcha.tv, according to a source with knowledge of the deal who asked to remain anonymous.
• App Store vs. Google Play revenue
  Apple gives us some numbers to work with. At WWDC Apple said it paid $10 billion to developers since the App Store opened—$5 billion in the last year alone. Apple says it has 900,000 apps available and over 50 billion downloads from the App Store.
• Larry Ellison sees dark future for Apple without Jobs - CBS News Video
  Business magnate Larry Ellison thinks that without Steve Jobs -- "our Edison" and "our Picasso" -- Apple corporation is in trouble.
• 20 injured at LG phone giveaway as PR stunt turns into freetard riot • The Register
  But what must have sounded like a good idea in the marketing meeting quickly dissolved into chaos. People aren’t stupid. They figured out that the only way to get the voucher was to burst the balloons, and they showed up equipped to do so with BB guns, knives on sticks, and other tools.
• Windows 8.1 to launch in October | ZDNet
  Microsoft announced today that it will make the Windows 8.1 update generally available to consumers in mid-October, roughly a year after the release of Windows 8. Today's announcement didn't offer any clues about when developers and enterprise customers can get the code, however.
• Dansent.me - Discounts and Coupon Codes
  Discounts for 5by5 listeners from Dan Benjamin
• Analyst Predicts No Siri on iPhone 5C, Fingerprint Scanner Solely for Device Unlocking on iPhone 5S - Mac Rumors
  The phone is otherwise expected to follow Apple's upgrade patterns in processor speed and battery life, moving to a new custom A7 chip while featuring more memory and other spec bumps. Munster expects Apple’s new iPhone lineup to feature the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5, and low-cost iPhone, which contradicts an earlier report last month which stated Apple would discontinue production of the iPhone 5 alongside the launch of the iPhone 5S and lower cost iPhone.
• BlackBerry Says It’s Looking For A Buyer (Or A Willing Partner), Forms Special Committee To ‘Explore Strategic Alternatives’ | TechCrunch
  BlackBerry, the embattled Canada-based handset maker, today finally called a spade a spade. The company halted trading in its shares to announce what some might argue was inevitable: the company says it is now exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale or JV or other partnership. A committee chaired by Timothy Dattels and including CEO Thorsten Heins, along with Barbara Stymiest, Richard Lynch and Bert Nordberg, has been formed to look for alternatives.
• The Loop Magazine: The Future of the Human Interface, Part 2
  In this issue, Rene Ritchie looks at the future of human interface and how iOS 7 has given him a glimpse into the future
• Android 4.2.2 Skips Galaxy Note 2 & Galaxy S3 Again
  Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 owners again have to watch another Android 4.2 Jelly Bean roll out take place while they await answers from Samsung in regards to their upgrade path which is almost assuredly going to be straight to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, the latest Android update from Google.
• Ballmer: 'We made too many Surface RT tablets' | CNET UK
  Microsoft is estimated to have about 6 million Surface devices unsold. That's quite a pile.
• Apollo Audio Interface with Realtime UAD Processing and Thunderbolt
  Apollo is one of the world’s most popular professional audio interfaces — delivering the sound, feel, and flow of analog recording to music creators everywhere. This 18 x 24 FireWire/ Thunderbolt-ready* interface combines class-leading sound quality with Realtime UAD Processing. So you can track audio through UAD analog emulation plug-ins — from Neve, Studer, Manley, Lexicon and more — in real time, with a sleek, elegant workflow on both Mac and Windows 7.
• Neve® 88RS Channel Strip Plug-In | Universal Audio
  
• The Loop Magazine
  

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