'Net Features : 12710

Apple Announces iPad - Highs and Lows

Mike Phillips — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:32:00 GMT

Steve Jobs repeatedly talked about the iPad as a "third category of products" (between smartphones and computers) throughout his presentation of the new Apple tablet, iPad. He talked about netbooks, saying, "the problem is that netbooks aren't better than anything!"

Essentially, Jobs argues that netbooks bring nothing new to the table.

That might be true, but neither does the iPad. Essentially, the iPad is a really big iPod Touch. It measures .5 inches thick, has a 9.7 inch display and weighs in at 1.5 pounds.

Highs

Like everything Apple, the user interface is slick, seamless and fluid. During the demonstration, the e-reader (dubbed iBooks, of course) looks like a step way above the Kindle - books are in color and videos can play right inside the book pages. Same goes for newspapers. That was demonstrated by viewing The New York Times - an interesting choice, as NYT announced they will start to charge for content. Coincidence?

Considerable time during the presentation was spent on an some unlikely flagship apps - iWork. All of the standard features were present with document creation, spreadsheets, data import, etc. Impressively, each iWork app is priced at just $9.99. That's nice, if you want to work in the insulated world of iWork. Of course, you could always navigate over to Google Docs instead.

Video, of course, is second-to-none on the iPad, as is the gaming experience.

iPhone apps will run on the iPad (or at least most of them) but there will also be standalone iPad apps - a potential boon to developers, who can now get started with a SDK for the iPad.

Data plans start at $14.99 for 250 MB per month or $29.99 for unlimited data, with no contracts. And, all 3G models are unlocked.

Pricing. Many people are going to get really excited that the iPad is available for just $499. However, that's a version with WiFi only, and just 16GB of storage. To get 3G (and what's the point of this thing without a fast connection), you're looking at a minimum of $629. Want to treat this thing like a working computer and not just a browsing device? You'll need more storage ... 64GB for $829. A full price breakdown can be found below.

The iPad is a beautiful, intuitive, convenient way to surf the Web. What's more, the iPad naturally will have some amazing apps. iPhone apps will run on the iPad (or at least, most of them) but there will also be standalone iPad apps - a potential boon to developers, who can now get started with a SDK for the iPad. But the integration (or lack thereof) of all these killer apps might also be the iPad's biggest downfall.

Lows

Astoundingly, there was no mention of multitasking with apps and browsing with the iPad - one of the biggest complaints users have with the iPhone. Does this mean I can't stream music while reading the morning New York Times that I just paid for?

No Flash. Just like another iPhone shortcoming, the iPad has problems with Flash.

AT&T. Yep, the iPad is tied to AT&T - yet another iPhone shortcoming. It's one thing to drop a phone call or not be able to get the latest sports scores while traveling. What happens when you're trying to get some real work done and you lose your connection? The whole beautiful interface is next to useless until AT&T bulks up their 3G coverage.

There's no camera. Wouldn't it be nice to iChat with your friend in Itasca about the iBook you just read on your new iPad?

There's no denying that this device is cool. But "magical" as Jobs suggests? In the end, it looks like the iPad is really just a large iPod Touch - look no further than the price as your first clue. But it does have a bigger keyboard. Which is nice.

	16 GB	32 GB	64 GB

WiFi	$499	$599	$699

WiFi + 3G	$629	$729	$829

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StreamSend "Gets" Deliverability

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:18:00 GMT

How much do you know about analyzing an email for deliverability? If you're a client of email marketing software provider StreamSend and your answer was "not much" you'll certainly know more now.

The company just released Email Analyzer, a tool that helps businesses improve deliverability and email campaign effectiveness. The tool enables email marketers to test for potential spam filter challenges on nine spam filters including SpamAssasin, Postini, Barracuda and others. Marketers can also preview how the email will render in 30 various email clients such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, comcast, AOL and others prior to sending.

“We are very pleased to be able to save our customers time and money with Email Analyzer by helping them improve the effectiveness of their emails before they send them,” said Dan Foorotan, president of StreamSend Email Marketing. “It is a big advantage to be able to spot and address any potential problem areas in advance.”

Ooyala Turning Japanese

Pete Prestipino — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:16:00 GMT

Video technology provider Ooyala launched its Japanese website today. While an announcement like that would not usually not warrant even a shrug, it does signify that video is going global at a rapid pace and both marketers and agencies know it.

Ooyala has done well in North America and Europe and is looking to Japan as it continues a global expansion. All Ooyala features (uploading, analytics, syndication and ad serving) can all be managed in Japanese. For Japanese companies with an international footprint, the company's video player automatically detects the browser language settings and adjusts the player controls and closed captioning to accommodate the viewer.

“Online video is revolutionizing media consumption globally, and the Japanese market represents an exciting opportunity for us," says Chris Wong, Ooyala SVP of Corporate Development. "By March of 2011, the Japanese government is planning to have broadband across the entire country, with over 75% of the population getting fiber directly to their home. With the deployment of this high-speed broadband infrastructure and mass proliferation of web-connected mobile devices - this will make it possible for companies to leverage our platform to deliver richer and more engaging video content directly to their consumers.”

eBay Changes Fees, Angers Sellers

Mike Phillips — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:44:00 GMT

EBay has once again made a change to seller fees. On the one hand, they dropped insertion fees. On the other hand, they seem to have raised final valuation fees. And many sellers are upset - not only at increased fees but the manner in which eBay has framed these fees.

Insertion fees will be dropped entirely for light sellers who list items in an auction format starting under $1. According to eBay, items listed under $1 work best in the eBay format, and stimulate billing. However, should you put a reserve on these items, a $.10 listing fee will be enacted, as well as a fee to set the reserve. Final Value Fees are now listed at 9%, regardless of the selling price but never more than $50. In general, eBay's fee changes seem to favor the light seller.

For power sellers, eBay is pushing Stores subscriptions, offering insertion fees as little as $.03 and Final Value Fees "... for the most part the same as today." Insertion fees drop according to the Store you sign up for - fees are higher for the Basic Store (with a subscription fee of $15.95 per month), and lowest for an Anchor Store (with a subscription fee of $299.95 per month). Final Value fees are on a sliding scale - both in accordance to the final purchase price and the category in which the item(s) is listed. EBay is also promoting Stores by encouraging users to sign up now, and avoid paying additional monthly fees until April, 2010.

A look around the eBay seller forums reveal some angry power sellers. They say that eBay is presenting these changes as a drop in listing fees but, in reality, the bottom line is growing for eBay and shrinknig for sellers. This is not uncommon - eBay sellers revolt every time a fee increase is enacted. But what seems to be really upsetting sellers is the language eBay is using - that is, they feel eBay is attempting to hide the truth about increasing fees. You can get an idea of power sellers' reactions in this eBay forum, which includes an interesting user-generated chart detailing the fee changes according to final selling price of an item. The official fee chart from eBay can be found here.

The heart of the matter is this: eBay is a business, not an altruistic service. Like any business, they need to make money. For now, it appears that eBay's latest business model is to lean on power sellers by pushing them toward opening eBay Stores - with their recurring fees - and increasing the minority of sellers' Final Value Fees. These power sellers are now in a Catch-22. Their bottom might be shrinking, but there are no serious alternatives - other online auction sites have a fraction of eBay's traffic and consumer mindshare, and an alternative like Craigslist is much more labor intensive. Until consumers make a switch, sellers are stuck.

EBay's official fee change statement.

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