It's rare to hear one of Apple's partners speak publicly about the company, but it's rarely positive, especially when Cupertino's often draconian policies are being discussed. Imagine our surprise to hear a European carrier CEO describe Apple as much easier to get along with now! What's the reason behind the change? You'll have to read on to find out...
GigaOM is reporting that Apple has settled a lawsuit brought against it by parents over the company's in-app purchase system, which allowed kids to rack up big tabs via iTunes without their knowledge. Those affected will be able to claim a $5 iTunes credit for their trouble, while parents whose kids purchased more than $5 worth of in-app purchases without their knowledge can claim a $30 cash refund instead. Before you can claim, you'll need to attest that a minor made the purchase in question and that you did not provide them with your Apple ID password. Apple will send a notice via email to more than 23 million iTunes account holders, and the payments are expected to start flowing later this year or in early 2014.
As a paid service, App.net has discovered it's an uphill battle trying to get regular folks to pay for what's essentially a less restrictive version of Twitter. While the service is popular with tech-minded users willing to pay $5 per month for it, a new blog post details why the service is now going "freemium." In order to join App.net on this free tier, a paying member must invite you, but there are three limitations: You'll only have a maximum of 40 users, 500MB file storage and can only upload files up to 10MB in size. Time will tell if the Twitter rival can gain further traction this way, but with more than 100 third-party apps now available, it's clear that more than a few people are using the service.
Reuters is reporting that Samsung plans to launch its next offensive against the iPhone on March 14 in New York, where the Korean manufacturer will unveil its latest Galaxy S IV smartphone. The event, which has been rumored for several weeks, marks the first U.S. launch of a Galaxy handset in three years, and Samsung mobile boss JK Shin claims the company was "bombarded with requests from U.S. mobile carriers to unveil the Galaxy S IV" here. Samsung's next-generation Android handset is expected to arrive with a higher-resolution display and superior camera, all powered by a quad-core processor.
Facebook announced Monday that they've entered partnerships with a number of mobile carriers around the globe to provide discounted or even free data access to Facebook messaging for subscribers. The promotion will roll out "in the coming months" and be available for both iOS and Android users, encompassing 18 operators in 14 countries, including Portugal, Ireland, India, Thailand, Egypt and Italy. Facebook claims its messaging platform can now be accessed from more than 6,000 mobile phones, including basic phones with Facebook for Every Phone or m.facebook.com access.
AllThingsD is reporting that Apple may be an easier company to deal with now that CEO Tim Cook is in charge. According to France Telecom-Orange CEO Stephane Richard, “Apple has [become] more flexible, paying more attention to everyone else, probably a little less arrogant than they used to be." The European carrier boss elaborated to reporters during a dinner at Mobile World Congress, “I think they are probably a little more under pressure, and it is quite nice.” Likely to the chagrin of Mozilla, Microsoft, BlackBerry and mobile Linux, the CEO seems pessimistic that the market can support a third platform offering real competition for the iPhone and Android. “There is probably not room for everyone,” Richard said. “But all of us hope that among those initiatives, at least one will be able to emerge as a third ecosystem.”
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