Top stories

Apple Now Accepting iPad Apps, Planning “Grand Opening” of iPad App Store

Apple is now accepting iPad apps for a “grand opening” of the iPad App Store, according to an email just sent to registered developers.
“iPad will begin shipping soon and your opportunity to be part of the grand opening of the iPad App Store starts today,” the email says.
There’s no details about when the store’s grand [...]

Security Expert: “Mac OS X Is Safer, But Less Secure”

20100319-ipwned.jpg

Tech site H-Online has an interesting story today, quoting security expert Charlie Miller about his forthcoming talk at the CanSecWest conference next week.
He says OS X is full of security holes. There are lots more than in Windows, he claims.
And yet: OS X is a safer system to use. Why? Because, in the words [...]

Apple Devotes Entire Home Page To Jerome York Obituary

20100318-york.jpg

If ever you needed a sign that Apple was a different kind of technology company, this is it.
What other computer manufacturer would remove its top-selling, hype-inducing, industry-altering new product from the prime spot on its website home page, and replace it with an obituary to an investor?
This is one of those “Here’s to the [...]

Coming Soon: Steve Jobs, the Sitcom

Fake Steve creator Dan Lyons just signed a deal to bring Steve Jobs to another small screen near you.
The half-hour series called “iCon” is billed by the presser as “a savage satire centering on a fictional Silicon Valley CEO whose ego is a study in power and greed.”
Making sure the barbs prick will be the [...]

Starbucks to Quit Music Distribution, Keep Serving Coffee

starbucks_music.jpg
Photo by Andrew Bulhak

Once hailed as a savior of the music industry’s physical distribution model, Starbucks will abandon the sale of CDs and iTunes gift cards in its thousands of outlets by September, according to a report released today by Silicon Valley Insider. The company will continue to offer free Wi-fi access to Apple’s online music store and may continue to try to sell entertainment online, but the dream of record company executives who saw Starbucks at the vanguard of a new class of unconventional sales outlets that could keep the CD alive in an age of digital downloads is now dead.

The company reported its first annual profit decline in eight years and saw half a dozen senior executives depart from its entertainment unit this year, forcing the Seattle-based retailer to look for ways to restart growth in its core business of selling $4 cups of coffee.

If you enjoyed this article:
Subscribe via RSS or email, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter

About the author

Lonnie Lazar

Lonnie Lazar is a writer, musician, web designer attorney. He writes about Apple for Cult of Mac and Mac|Life, and about VoIP and telecommunications for Voxilla. Follow Lonnie on Twitter @LonnieLazar, join the Cult of Mac on Facebook, and find Lonnie's photos on Flickr.

Email the author | Read more posts by Lonnie Lazar.

4 comments

    That’s somewhat unfortunate – Starbucks always had some really good CD collections and compilations to peruse while waiting for your coffee to be prepared. I even admit to buying some of their old Motown and classic soul/r&b compilations, not to mention some of their excellent selection of jazz (folks like Monk and Coltrane lived on Starbucks shelves). Admittedly though, people go into Starbucks for coffee and a snack, and maybe even for the wi-fi, not for music.

    That being said, I would love to see Starbucks continue to play the music that people love on the in-store XM station and invite people to head to the iTunes store to download the song if they like what they hear. I’ll bet some of those wifi users will head over and download a track or two if they like what they hear.

    [...] according to the fine folks at the Cult of Mac blog, Starbucks is tired of taking the monetary hit that comes with trying to sell physical CDs in [...]

    I buy Dunkin Donuts coffee. Way better than Starbucks and only $1.50 for a large.

    Dunkin Donuts Coffee better than Starbucks??? On what planet? DD coffee tastes like cat urine.

Buy Inside Steve's Brain Buy from Amazon.com Buy from Barnes & Noble