Yeah, you must be right, because the news article isn't even his real work, right?
And apple's last quarter when services are the 2nd largest revenue stream for Apple, the only one growing, is what? Poor performance?
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Apple Meets With Podcasters to Hear Wide-Ranging Community Grievances
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Yeah, you must be right, because the news article isn't even his real work, right?
And apple's last quarter when services are the 2nd largest revenue stream for Apple, the only one growing, is what? Poor performance?
Slow down. No one ever heard of podcasting before Apple updated iTunes except for people podcasting.
Perhaps, but I remain convinced that letting Scott stay would have been the even greater mistake.
I personally felt that iOS 4-6 was advancing features at a glacial pace. iOS 6 was notable for the failure of Maps, which if you take it out, meant that iOS 6 introduced practically no new features of worth.
Compare this to iOS 7 and 8, which finally brought many of the functionality that iOS had been sorely missing for quite some time now. A new redesign in iOS 7, extensions, widgets, handoff and continuity in iOS 8. All this would not have been possible without tight-knit cooperation amongst all the various departments, and this is something which was reportedly impossible prior due to Scott's abrasive personality. I mean, just look at how long it took for iMessage to be brought to the Mac Platform.
In short, his work on iOS might have been stellar at one point, but he was causing the whole Apple ecosystem to suffer as a whole, and that cannot be tolerated whatever the organisation.
But to stay on tangent, I am personally a fan of podcasting. I listen to it way more than I listen to music. Thanks to Overcast, I haven't bothered with the stock Podcast app in like forever, but anything that can help the podcasters monetise their work better, I am fine so long as it doesn't burden me overly.
Well, Carplay doesn't work as well as the iOS App.
The other thing overcast misses is Siri.
The recommendations don't work as well as the iOs App, especially as you can't see ratings as well.
About the design, the developer either offers a foul orange layout or charges an extra AU$18.00 a year to have it look blue and dark.
So all in all, the iOS app is actually better for some people.
Yeah... I guess I was thinking of the big boys in podcasting.
I mainly listen to podcasts from major podcast networks like TWiT, This Week in Photo, etc. They have big audiences... and all of them have advertising that pays off because of that big audience.
You're right... the guy podcasting from his basement is not making millions
Then there are the celebrity podcasts. I'm pretty sure Kevin Pollak's podcast advertising money pales in comparison to his movie and TV money. His podcast would definitely fall under supplemental income.
Same for Chris Hardwick and his Comedy Central and AMC money.
It seems every stand-up comedian has their own podcast... but that's probably just to promote their live shows (their main income)
And then there are website podcasts like PCPerspective and AppleInsider. They have websites that are funded by advertising... so I wonder how much money their podcasts make versus their websites? Same question for The Talk Show and its association with John Gruber and his Daring Fireball website.
I was wrong to say "most" podcasts make money. I was simply trying to argue against the earlier comment "talent should be paid" and "help podcasters make a buck"
There IS money in podcasting. It's mostly advertising-based.
But you're right... not every podcaster can make a full living at it.
This same sorta thing is happening on Youtube too. Every video from LinusTechTips has ads in it. And apparently they're doing well since they just moved into a huge facility with a staff of a dozen people all using thousands of dollars worth of video editing PCs.
But yeah... most Youtubers aren't making any money at all.
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But, that's key because for podcasting to go big (i.e.: audience), it needed discovery. iTunes was crucial for that (and still is).
Sort of. Stuff like the font being too thin for anyone without perfect eyesight is more that subjective. But, the 'look' also involves the UI. Going from a more skeuomorphic UI to a 'flat' one has benefits and downsides. The benefits are more on the implementation/designer side, and downsides for users in terms of UX in many cases.
I think a lot of people misunderstand what this transition means. It wasn't getting rid of felt and leather, so much as changing from buttons to nondescript text and icons... and *assuming* everyone is now versed enough with technology that we'll just experiment and eventually get it. That might be the case for some of the core of the OS, but it started a trend in terms of apps too. And, many of them have very poorly designed interfaces. Even Apple's interfaces have lost much of what Apple learned over decades.
Hmm, I guess that's one solution if they could make it proprietary enough and keep the podcasters. But given Apple's track record in such stuff, I hope they don't. At least I wouldn't use them if they did. And, of course, if they did, it wouldn't be podcasting anymore. Or, if they just added hosting, there would be little benefit other than they *possibly* could make more simple for some situations.
Just remember that Apple's running off of past success. What he's doing right now won't have it's impact fully for years. Heh, and because iPhones have a blip, suddenly it's the only growing one?
I guess it depends on how you look at it. I'd rather have less features and more stability/consistency. Apple seems to have gone for just throwing features together and in with no foresight. And, yes, Maps was a bit embarrassing, but iOS 8, the whole thing, was a disaster! Finally, some of that is fixed in iOS 9 but IMO, those two problems aren't even in the same league.
You do realise the word "Podcast" is derived directly from the words iPod and Broadcast don't you? There was no "mainstream" iPod broadcasting before Apple came to the game, but please, give us some examples of "mainstream" podcasting prior to 2005 and what kind of numbers, which countries, etc. Easy to dismiss something without some facts to back yourself up. Look forward to those figures.
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The way I see it, iOS 8 brought a lot of bugs, but at least had a ton of new features to keep users happy and distract them from the problems. iOS 6 had nothing meaningful in the way of new features to make up for the fact that Maps sucked. I will forever view iOS 6 as Apple's lost year. My guess is that with Steve dead, and Tim Cook busy learning the ropes and reorganising Apple, there was no one to rein in Scott Forstall and this is the kind of sloppy work Scott churns out when you don't have Steve managing him.
I would have thought so too, but spend a few minutes with iOS 8, and I can't believe I have used iOS for so long without its tentpole features. Imagine having to take a photo, then go into the whatsapp app to share it, when Android users had been sharing it directly from their camera roll since day one.
iOS 8 was in general quite stable for me, though it did slow down my iPhone and iPad a fair bit. In short, iOS was in sore need of catching up to Android, feature-wise, and iOS 8 has helped plugged that gap to some extent. I saw something I hadn't seem in Apple for some time - fear, desperation, and the realisation that Apple was very much behind.
I won't say that those features were hastily cobbled together. If you notice, the new features tend to coincide with whatever new hardware Apple is pushing at that time. For iOS 8, the emphasis was clearly on the Apple Watch. Features like improved iMessage, Siri, quick reply, handoff, continuity, widgets, all these were also integral to the operations of the Apple Watch.
Apple is doing a lot more now, so I am willing to give them the benefit of a doubt that these are simply growing pains and that the software will eventually improve.
But, there was a lot of podcasting before Apple added the podcasts section to iTunes and adopted the term that was already in use. But, sure, once podcasts had the visibility of the iTunes eco-system and and an easier way to subscribe and get episodes onto their popular player, it gave it a huge boost.
If that hadn't happened, I have little doubt podcasts would still be successful, but it would have taken longer to simplify the mechanisms in terms of players, and we'd have slower discovery... so it would be more like running across blogs is now. Unless of course someone else did something similar to Apple, which they might have.
Mainstr
Mainstream is the important word in this article, yet the previous poster flatly refused to acknowledge it, so let's stick to the literal sense of what mainstream means, and yes, podcasts wouldn't have survived without a mainstream platform to bolster its audience.
Mainstream is the important word in this article, yet the previous poster flatly refused to acknowledge it, so let's stick to the literal sense of what mainstream means, and yes, podcasts wouldn't have survived without a mainstream platform to bolster its audience.
iOS 4 and 5 were some of the biggest iOS updates ever. iOS 6 may have been not the greatest but the reason maps sucked had nothing to do with Scott. It lacked data which isn't his department.
I used to listen to radio. I never liked TV. I didn't like the medium and I didn't like the content. Podcasting brought radio to the computer. iTunes brought podcasting to my awareness and made it possible for me to listen to what was essentially radio, on my own schedule, rather than being tied to the broadcast schedule of the radio station.
iTunes downloaded my list of podcasts to the computer and once every few days I deleted the ones I'd listened to from my iPod and transferred the fresh episodes to the iPod. This was a small nuisance. Then I lost my ancient iPod and had to buy a new one, and with the new one I use iCatcher, which fetches and manages my list of podcasts without ever having to go through iTunes. (The iOS Podcast app was all squirrelly when I tried to use it.)
So now Apple has no involvement in my podcast listening. Which makes much of the above moot for me.
As for the funding of podcasts, even when I was going through iTunes, and still now, podcasters have the ability to charge for podcasts if they choose. Two of the podcasts I listen to have two versions: A free ad-supported version, and a subscription-based ad-free version. In one case, the subscription version is longer, and in another case, the subscription includes bonus episodes not included on the free stream. So any podcaster who wants to can charge for their podcast, or can offer an alternate (e.g. ad-free) version for a fee. They can do this now and some do.
Other podcasts have advertising, or just beg for money (the public-radio route) or both.
I donate money to my favorite podcasts, except for one that has so many ads, and the ads are so obnoxious, that I don't. I also don't donate to NPR podcasts because I subscribe to my local public radio station, so I figure I am indirectly donating to the shows. Other than that, I donate to the ones I listen to and like enough that I want them to stick around.
Content costs money to produce, and podcasters have a variety of ways to monetize their shows. Subscriptions, fee-based bonus content, advertising, or straight-up begging. Produce a show that enough people want to listen to, and people will support it, or tolerate the ads that support it. I really don't see what information Apple could provide to podcasters that would help them, without violating users' privacy, given that iTunes and Apple only provide a listing service, and many people don't go through iTunes at all.
But I'm grateful to Apple for the part it played in bringing podcasting to my awareness. Never again do I have to be at home or near a radio at the same time every week to catch the shows I like.
iTunes downloaded my list of podcasts to the computer and once every few days I deleted the ones I'd listened to from my iPod and transferred the fresh episodes to the iPod. This was a small nuisance. Then I lost my ancient iPod and had to buy a new one, and with the new one I use iCatcher, which fetches and manages my list of podcasts without ever having to go through iTunes. (The iOS Podcast app was all squirrelly when I tried to use it.)
So now Apple has no involvement in my podcast listening. Which makes much of the above moot for me.
As for the funding of podcasts, even when I was going through iTunes, and still now, podcasters have the ability to charge for podcasts if they choose. Two of the podcasts I listen to have two versions: A free ad-supported version, and a subscription-based ad-free version. In one case, the subscription version is longer, and in another case, the subscription includes bonus episodes not included on the free stream. So any podcaster who wants to can charge for their podcast, or can offer an alternate (e.g. ad-free) version for a fee. They can do this now and some do.
Other podcasts have advertising, or just beg for money (the public-radio route) or both.
I donate money to my favorite podcasts, except for one that has so many ads, and the ads are so obnoxious, that I don't. I also don't donate to NPR podcasts because I subscribe to my local public radio station, so I figure I am indirectly donating to the shows. Other than that, I donate to the ones I listen to and like enough that I want them to stick around.
Content costs money to produce, and podcasters have a variety of ways to monetize their shows. Subscriptions, fee-based bonus content, advertising, or straight-up begging. Produce a show that enough people want to listen to, and people will support it, or tolerate the ads that support it. I really don't see what information Apple could provide to podcasters that would help them, without violating users' privacy, given that iTunes and Apple only provide a listing service, and many people don't go through iTunes at all.
But I'm grateful to Apple for the part it played in bringing podcasting to my awareness. Never again do I have to be at home or near a radio at the same time every week to catch the shows I like.
i listen to about 8 or 10 podcasts regularly.
i was a fan of John Siracusa's Hypercritical until it ended a few years back. I too respect his insights.
The obvious problem with podcasting is that, as much as enjoyed listening to Siracusa, its wasn't until this thread that I even knew he could be found on Accidental Tech Podcast.
thats the problem. there is no promotion vehicle.
all of the podcasts that i listen to regularly i would pay money to listen to if needed.
i listen to rachel meadow (video excerpt and audio), i would pay out money to MSNBC to get a full video podcast even with their silly commercials in it.
i listen to Slate's Political Gabfest with Plotz/Dickerson/Bazelon. I would pay money for this podcast.
all of the 8 or 10 that i listen to i would pay money for.
Serial, Eric Ericsson, Slate Lexicon Valley, Frontline PBS Audiocast, all i would pay money for.
the only podcast that i listen to that does require money is Rush Limbaugh. His podcast is a paid for one. And its not easy to get it to sync with apple's format since it requires a separate log in to that podcast middleman.
since i am not based in the usa. i needed to cut the cord or find ways to get the info i want without it requiring a cord. and be really device independent and time independent.
the world is a 24/7 place and podcasts are really just a cordless/device independent format that is in many ways the obvious "app based future" that apple is talking about as the way forward for appleTV.
if apple can't get podcasts right then they can't get their self proclaimed marketing future for appleTV either.
i was a fan of John Siracusa's Hypercritical until it ended a few years back. I too respect his insights.
The obvious problem with podcasting is that, as much as enjoyed listening to Siracusa, its wasn't until this thread that I even knew he could be found on Accidental Tech Podcast.
thats the problem. there is no promotion vehicle.
all of the podcasts that i listen to regularly i would pay money to listen to if needed.
i listen to rachel meadow (video excerpt and audio), i would pay out money to MSNBC to get a full video podcast even with their silly commercials in it.
i listen to Slate's Political Gabfest with Plotz/Dickerson/Bazelon. I would pay money for this podcast.
all of the 8 or 10 that i listen to i would pay money for.
Serial, Eric Ericsson, Slate Lexicon Valley, Frontline PBS Audiocast, all i would pay money for.
the only podcast that i listen to that does require money is Rush Limbaugh. His podcast is a paid for one. And its not easy to get it to sync with apple's format since it requires a separate log in to that podcast middleman.
since i am not based in the usa. i needed to cut the cord or find ways to get the info i want without it requiring a cord. and be really device independent and time independent.
the world is a 24/7 place and podcasts are really just a cordless/device independent format that is in many ways the obvious "app based future" that apple is talking about as the way forward for appleTV.
if apple can't get podcasts right then they can't get their self proclaimed marketing future for appleTV either.
To that I'd also add AirDrop and Instant Hotspot - two features I use everyday.
Notes is another welcome app/feature that has nicely evolved and totally replaced Evernote across my devices and computers. As a long-time Evernote user, it's been sad to see it suffer from bloat and an overly complicated UI that has become much more difficult to use over time. Notes is a breath of fresh air, in contrast.
This is a completely false statement. Podcast started to take off right after it was made easier to download through iTunes. Not saying it wasn't around before, but it took off when Apple introduced it in iTunes.
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Exactly. At several points, Leo Laporte (TechTV, Screen Savers, TWIT) thought the name connected too much to Apple and suggested changes. I forgot what those suggestions are now, but the reason they were called podcasts is because people mostly played them on the iPod classic. Apple had an influence due to the name of the device, but did not initiate it. Apple later took on the name with their own section.
That's a complaint that has no reason to be. They only used Helvetica Thin for Beta 1 and 2, then they switched. Nowdays, San Francisco is even more readable than Lucida Sans ever was!
Not really, most Apps didn't had those ultra-detailed assets. Either they can hire designers, or not!
Nondescript? What is nondescript?
Doesn't matter, because people who don't experiment, don't experiment anyways. Just use their phones for facebook and messages...
It's already that way right now...
Just remember that Apple's running off of past success. What he's doing right now won't have it's impact fully for years. Heh, and because iPhones have a blip, suddenly it's the only growing one?
Actually it is.
So if he's working for the company, and generating revenue right now, and potentially even more for the next years, he's doing a bad work?
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Exactly, it's called "podcast" for a reason, or why does it have an Apple trademark on the name "Pod" comes from "iPod".
I get the same impression about Casper mattresses when I listen to my podcasts. It's like the same few brands everywhere.Sounds like Festivus.
In all seriousness the search and discovery in the podcasts app is as bad as the App Store. That's my only real bugbear.
Also I get the impression that SquareSpace is single handedly funding the podcast Scene
I agree about search being bad. I have given up finding anything in the iTunes Store. If not for recommendations by websites, I would probably never have found any of the podcasts I am currently listening to.
Gee, Apple has been trying unsuccessfully to break into the advertising world and yet, they have this massive pool of podcasts to work with. Imagine if they implemented an opt-in system for podcasts to insert Apple-hosted ads into their shows. The podcasts make a few bucks, Apple makes a few bucks and advertisers get what would be presumably dirt-cheap ad rates. What would be the downside?
Did they mention the fact that Apple completely ruined the Podcast app, I think beginning with iOS 9? I bought and am using Pocket Casts, which works like the old Podcast app did before Apple broke it.
