Likely there to cheer for Up and Pixar, Disney’s largest shareholder (oh, and Apple CEO!) Steve Jobs walks the Oscar red carpet at the Academy Awards.

(No, we don’t know who he was wearing, or if he had an iPad in an extra-large, Stephen Colbert-sized tux pocket, okay?)

(WayneSutton.net via @TUAW)

Steve Jobs on Oscars Red Carpet is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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TechCrunch is reporting that companies who mass produce (or provide tools and templates for the mass production of) “cookie cutter” apps are hearing that they need to add differentiation and functionality or risk Apple not allowing them into the iTunes App Store. Jason Kincaid says:

Between the developers I spoke to, the consensus was this: Apple doesn't appear to be opposed to 'app generators' and templates per se, but in the last month or so it has started cracking down on basic applications that are little more than RSS feeds or glorified business cards. In short, Apple doesn't want people using native applications for things that a basic web app could accomplish. For some of these services that's bad news, because that's exactly the sort of application they produce; any new applications they submit are going to get rejected. But all hope isn't lost for them, provided they can make their apps more useful.

Kincaid says Appmakr for one has taken suggestions from Apple to improve things like in-app purchases, instant notifications, offline access, and landscape viewing modes and describe the process as positive. Other services apparently haven’t had as much luck.

The move seems to be part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to increase the quality of the App Store experience and protect the brand. Much like the removal of sex-based apps last month, “cookie cutter” apps could seen as low value, sometimes verging on spam. For consumers it could result in a cleaner App Store and ultimately better apps (more than just re-packaged RSS feeds) but at the expense of quantity and choice. For developers, it’s likely another in a list of things they’ll consider before building on Apple’s platform.

If Apple is indeed working on revamping the mass produced app, what think you?

Apple Cracking Down on Mass Produced, Low Functionality Apps? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Best of Smartphone Experts, 7 Mar 2010 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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We’re getting lots of reports from lots of different places that Apple’s iTunes Store and App Store are down or otherwise erroring out for users.

Hopefully Apple is working on a fix and things will be back up soon. In the meantime let us know if you’re getting errors, what kind, and in what country…

ITunes Store/App Store Outage? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Before we once again get our Kevin Rose-colored glasses on and hope beyond hope this is a sign the 4th generation iPhone will support video calling and/or video iChat, we’re going to hunker down and go with O2 making a bit of a mess-up on their new iPhone plan web page (above).

It does say “UK video calls same as voice calls” but we’re just tired for being teased about front-facing cameras and SDK strings, you know?

Also, it’s important to remember that the carriers have no idea what Apple will release for the 4th generation iPhone anyway. Even if they had to test it for video conferencing, Apple would make them wait until they showed it off at a WWDC keynote or something similar because they wouldn’t want the carrier to leak the feature. Anyway, with our luck O2 will just be bringing an app see the video but not send any back… Sigh.

[O2 via FSM via Redmond Pie via 9to5Mac. Phew!]

O2 Posts Prices for… UK Video Calls for iPhone?! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Looks like GCN’s concerns that Apple was overstating iPad battery life in face of IPS display power needs reached Apple CEO Steve Jobs while he was sitting in his chair enjoying his 9.7 magical, revolutionary tablet:

I e-mailed him to say that I didn't mean to imply that he was lying during his iPad presentation, as several people accused me of in their comments. People make presentations written by marketers all the time that are not 100 percent truthful, and it doesn't make them liars. I used the normal, publicly available e-mail address for him, not any of the special ways we press folks can sometimes get access. I figured that would be the end of it.

Two hours later:

[...]yes, we are getting 10 hours in 1.5 pounds.

Sent from my iPad

Boom.

‘Course we get to find out for ourselves when the iPad ships on April 3 in the US.

[Via MacRumors]

Steve Jobs Confirms 10 Hour iPad Battery Life… From his iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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