Morning Brief - Belgian edition: Watchdog group files complaint about Apple Care; Le Soir updates tablet edition

It seems like the Belgians like to stay in the news. Just last month Belgian newspapers were fighting with Google over search results and linking to newspaper content – that was settled with a few dollars passed on to the newspapers, but without any real changes initiated.

Now the Belgian consumer watchdog group, Test-Aankoop/Test-Achats, has filed a complaint against Apple. The issue revolves around Apple Care, the warranty and service agreement offered on Apple products. The complaint (in Dutch) states that the care package does not conform to European law because a two year agreement must be offered on Apple products free of charge – so only after that period of time would Apple care be warranted.

The complaint states that since March of last year Test-Aankoop has been pushing Apple to comply with the two-year requirement but that "Apple remained deaf to the demands of Test-Aankoop." In its complaint the Belgian group mentions a similar dispute with Italian authorities that led to penalties against Apple.

"The commercial practices of Apple were found to be misleading. Apple by the Italian competition authorities on 21-12-2011 sentenced to pay € 900,000 and was obliged to the consumer on their contractual legal warranty and guarantees to change. Apple appealed against this decision, but the decision of the competition authority was confirmed on June 6, 2012."

Meanwhile, Belgian newspapers continue to work with Apple. Today Le Soir issued an app update for its tablet edition found inside the Apple Newsstand.

The app is a reformatted version of the newspaper's website with PDF versions of the two editions of the newspaper available for purchase. The update now allows the app to automatically refresh the PDF versions of the paper and fixes bugs tied to the subscription process.

More from Belgium: Apparently Belgium has quite a violence problem – or Ann Coulter seems to think so. According to the Fox News commentator "if you compare while populations, we have the same murder rate as Belgium," Coulter says. "So perhaps it's not a gun problem, it is a demographic problem– which liberals are pushing, pushing, pushing, let's get more Colin Fergusons, and more whoever the guy was who shot up Fort Hood."

Preview: 360 Sound: the digital advantage

While catching up with my industry reading I decided to concentrate on book publishing. I just don't write enough about eBooks, especially now that it seems that both newspaper and magazine publishers have a huge opportunity to begin book lines thanks to the rise of both Kindle Editions and the Apple iBookstore.

But, like the magazine and newspaper trade industry journals, the book publishing journals seem to get a kick out of dissing all things digital, proclaiming that the eBook industry has peaked, or is limited in some way. Two articles, one one a U.S. site, the other a U.K. site, said basically the same thing: the decline on eBook sales at some retailers shows that the eBook craze is over. (No links, they don't deserve the traffic.)

Well, it was good for a chuckle. But it was also sad to know that is the way some think.

I see no reason to try and refute such an argument. The authors simply did not seem to really be familiar with the format. To them, an eBook is simply a digital reproduction of a work of fiction, something read on a Kindle, for instance. It is certainly that – but boy is it also much more.

And that is why eBooks are here to stay. Take, for instance, 360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story. The enhanced eBooks was created using iBooks Author and was released into the Apple iBookstore on October 1, 2012. The eBooks costs $14.99 and weighs in at 857 MB - quite a load.

The author is Sean Wilentz, and the publisher of the hardcover book is Chronicle Books. Interestingly, Amazon lists the publication date of six weeks after the eBook appeared in Apple's iBookstore. The hardcover price is listed at $45, but Amazon is selling it for $29.70 – but there is one problem, it is out of stock. The eBook, of course, is very much available inside Apple's iTunes store.

There is no Kindle Edition of the book, and if you think about it, that makes sense – an eBook edition of this subject should obviously contain audio files, and hopefully some video, as well. Until Amazon creates its own version of iBooks Author publishers are stuck with ePub, PDF or other formats that really don't quite match what iBooks Author promises – though book apps are another thing altogether.

The iBooks Author version of 360 Sound was published by Trailer Park Publishing out of Hollywood, California. It lists Penguin, Simon & Schuster and Hachette among its clients. It also lists Apple.

I haven't opened up 360 Sound yet, but I assume it will be a good read, and a good example of an enhanced eBook – and I really wish the publisher would have sent me a promo code! But one thing I am absolutely sure of is this: no print edition about the music business will ever really be superior to what a digital edition, created by a good publisher, can offer. I still love print books, as do consumers, but don't tell me digital is going away. It just is silly.

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When I took the position of publisher of two b2B titles at Reed Business Information, one of the things that came with the job was management of a book line for one of the brands.

The magazine had published a few titles over the years but while the book line contributed a few dollars to the revenue line it contributed even more the to expense line. One of these expenses was storage.

When I investigated the business as it had been conducted I found that the publisher would order up the printing of a minimum number of books and would then store them at the printer until orders came in. Since the printer required that a certain number of books needed to be printed it was inevitable that the books would begin to pile up.

A trip to the printer found pallets of books, rotting in storage. The publication dates seemed ancient to me, which meant that recycling the titles appeared to be the best solution.

We may have published a couple new titles that first year, but otherwise the business went away. I researched whether we should resurrect the book line, and even started to get enthusiastic about the possibilities.

But if I were in charge of that B2B title today I know I would be certainly thinking about digital books. All the things that seemed to be an argument against book publishing – minimum press runs, storage, packaging, shipping – would not be a factor today.

CNET's Greg Sandoval quits over editorial independence following CBS interference in site's CES awards process

If I have advice for Greg Sandoval, the now former senior reporter for CNET, it is to get back to work and don't pretend for a moment that your honorable action will lead to anything good.

Sandoval resigned today from the tech website after the much publicized incident where CBS forced its tech web property CNET to withdraw Dish Network's award nomination due to CBS's corporate legal battle with the satellite TV provider.

The retraction of the award nomination for "Best in Show" at CES was embarrassing for CNET, Sandoval's resignation will compound that embarrassment. But let's be real here, the real loser is the reporter who feels they must resign their position.

In my 30 years in this business I have only resigned once in a similar fashion – but it was an easier decision to make than Sandoval's. My employer was making hiring decisions based on trying to recreate the OJ Simpson trial at work – yep, he was hiring people who had last names similar to names of the lawyers and witnesses involved in the Simpson trial. Leaving that disaster was a pretty easy decision.

But I've also had to tell a newspaper publisher to go stuff it when he actually said he wanted me to kiss his ass because that is what he had to do his whole career. That was a tougher call, it cost me a dream job. But I didn't lose my job, I merely lost a promotion. A month later I accepted a job at McGraw-Hill and never looked back. But my newspaper career had apparently come to a close.

Journalists are applauding Sandoval today, but they shouldn't. Instead they should be wondering why the industry is in such bad shape that media owners no longer have a clue about what editorial freedom is about. For every Sandoval who resigns over the issue there are ten more who gladly work for companies where they are told to spew the day's talking points. Most collect their paycheck and go home, never losing sleep over that day's events.

Incidents like that at CNET get a lot of attention, but journalists – and just about everyone in the media business – face working in a tough work environment every day. The fact that one reporter said 'enough' isn't a cause for celebration, it is a sign of a sick industry.

(As John Gruber speculates, Sandoval is probably already receiving offers to work for other tech sites – hopefully, one of these offers even includes pay.)

Update: This statement has been issued by CBS:

CBS has nothing but the highest regard for the editors and writers at CNET, and has managed that business with respect as part of its CBS Interactive division since it was acquired in 2008. This has been an isolated and unique incident in which a product that has been challenged as illegal, was removed from consideration for an award. The product in question is not only the subject of a lawsuit between Dish and CBS, but between Dish and nearly every other major media company as well. CBS has been consistent on this situation from the beginning, and, in terms of covering actual news, CNET maintains 100% editorial independence, and always will. We look forward to the site building on its reputation of good journalism in the years to come.

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I have been mulling in my head whether I had anything important to say about the death of Aaron Swartz.

This online post on the financial blog Naked Capitalism is preferable. This paragraph, for me, stood out (I broke it out into two paragraphs for easier reading):

As we think about what happened to Aaron, we need to recognize that it was not just prosecutorial overreach that killed him. That’s too easy, because that implies it’s one bad apple. We know that’s not true. What killed him was corruption. Corruption isn’t just people profiting from betraying the public interest. It’s also people being punished for upholding the public interest. In our institutions of power, when you do the right thing and challenge abusive power, you end up destroying a job prospect, an economic opportunity, a political or social connection, or an opportunity for media. Or if you are truly dangerous and brilliantly subversive, as Aaron was, you are bankrupted and destroyed.

There’s a reason whistleblowers get fired. There’s a reason Bradley Manning is in jail. There’s a reason the only CIA official who has gone to jail for torture is the person – John Kiriako - who told the world it was going on. There’s a reason those who destroyed the financial system “dine at the White House”, as Lawrence Lessig put it. There’s a reason former Senator Russ Feingold is a college professor whereas former Senator Chris Dodd is now a multi-millionaire. There’s a reason DOJ officials do not go after bankers who illegally foreclose, and then get jobs as partners in white collar criminal defense. There’s a reason no one has been held accountable for decisions leading to the financial crisis, or the war in Iraq. This reason is the modern ethic in American society that defines success as climbing up the ladder, consequences be damned. Corrupt self-interest, when it goes systemwide, demands that it protect rentiers from people like Aaron, that it intimidate, co-opt, humiliate, fire, destroy, and/or bankrupt those who stand for justice.

By The Bottle and Maura Magazine: New digital magazines continue to appear, despite remaining apparently invisible to the industry's trade press

Several new tablet magazines were launched into the Apple Newsstand over the weekend into today. The sheer volume of new tablet magazine launches has to bring up the question of whether the traditional magazine media outlets remain relevant today – after all, it was only a few weeks ago that they loudly announced that 2012 saw the smallest number of new magazine launches on record, when most digital media observers were seeing the opposite, a flood of new magazine launches. Of course, they were digital, so the traditional media trade industry publications didn't see to think those counted.

One of the newly launched tablet-only magazines is from the U.K., By The Bottle. The magazine is a bit of a mystery as its link from the app description goes to a page with only two links on it.

The digital magazine is edited by Geordie Clark who writes about the origins of the magazine in his introductory column.

"Our objective behind this magazine was straightforward. We started this project because felt the wind market was missing a piece of the puzzle (sic). Other magazines cover industry news and wine reviews very well, but they don't always speak to the common wine enthusiast," Clark wrote. "We wanted to write about wine but take the stuffiness out of the topic. We wanted to make it fine, and useful, whether you are a casual wine drinker of a professional with years of experience in the trade."

(The nice thing about digital magazines is typos can be corrected with updates.)

Some of the articles that follow involve #7WordWineReview, something I was totally unaware of (they are wine meet ups, if I understand the concept) and the whole flow of the magazine seems a bit odd to me, made more so by the slightly mysterious nature of this magazine start-up. There is no "publisher" identified, though I have a feeling a gentleman referred to as VIM is behind this effort (Vimal Chatwani).

What the case may be, the app here is free to download and the issue inside is free, as well the design is native with scrolling text boxes employed, as well as more static pages.

The digital magazine can be read in either portrait or landscape, though the ad that is on the page following the cover is designed for portrait. The fact that the ad is for Riedel (the wine glass producer) and the first story is an interview with Maximilian Riedel raised some flags with me and made me wonder if what was to follow was merely advertorials – this proved not to be the case.

Here is a brief walk-through the beginning of the first issue of By The Bottle. The video makes it seem like the pages don't quite fit the display of the iPad, but ignore that, it was caused by the video capture software.

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Another new digital magazine released is called Maura Magazine and appears under the seller name of 29th Street Publishing.

Tim Moore is one of those who is part of 29th Street Publishing. You will remember Moore from the digital magazine Letter to Jane, one of the first new tablet magazines created shortly after the launch of the original iPad in April of 2010.

Maura Magazine is designed in a similar fashion to other digital magazines from 29th Street Publishing – a look that feels more like a Kindle Edition or something created with iBooks Author. I think those who think Marco Arment is on to something with his own digital magazine, but digital magazine designers with print backgrounds may think this is going way to minimal.

Maura, by the way, refers to the editor Maura Johnson, and the app description says that the new digital magazine will appear weekly. While the first issue can be viewed for free, monthly subscriptions will cost readers $2.99, while an annual subscription is priced at $29.99.

Update: New Bonnier Corp. CEO names Eric Zinczenko head of all U.S. magazine brands

In his first day as the new CEO of Bonnier Corp. Dave Freygang has created a new position, executive vice president in charge of all U.S. magazine brands. The first to hold the position will be Eric Zinczenko, previous in charge of the Men's Group.

Prior to joining Bonner in 2006 Zinczenko spent two stints at Rodale working in sales on Bicycling and later as publisher of Backpacking.

The Bonnier Men's Group includes such titles as Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, and incorporates the Technology Group with its titles Popular Science and Popular Photography. Previous to that role at Bonnier Zinczenko was in charge of the Outdoor Group alone.

"I want to get things done quickly — be fast and proactive. Recognizing Eric was the first step,” said new Bonnier Corp. CEO Freygang. "Since 2006, every Bonnier brand Eric has had the opportunity to work on has improved. Now I am looking forward to having him help our group publishers and business leaders in expanding their businesses and achieve the results we can expect with his vision and leadership."

Morning Brief: Digital ad pro proves very old school as head of Time Inc.; Terry Snow retires as CEO at Bonnier, replaced by long time colleague Dave Freygang; Hearst Newspapers update their tablet edition apps

There were those who wondered if Laura Lang, the head of digital ad agency Digitas, had the old school publishing background necessary to run a magazine company, Time Inc. But after one year Lang seems to have some old school skills, after all – bringing in consultants, then chopping heads.

Hired at the end of 2011 to turn around the magazine company, one of Lang's first moves was to bring in Bain & Co. consultants, a sign, some said, that Lang didn't know what to do in her new role outside the world of advertising agencies. Others (including this site) speculated that Bain would provide the cover necessary to chop heads.

According to reports last week, the heads will begin to roll as 700 positions are said to be eliminated when the time comes this quarter.

2012 was not a banner year for many of the Time Inc. titles: Real Simple, for instance, saw its ad pages fall over 17 percent. Time, People, Sports Illustrated, and Entertainment Weekly all also saw ad pages fall between 4 and 11 percent during the year, with only InStyle netting any ad page gains in 2012 (5.4 percent).

In addition to the staff cutbacks, Adweek is reporting that Time Magazine will also cut its frequency in 2013, producing three double issues in the year, versus only one double issue in 2012.

On Friday Bonnier Corp. announced CEO Terry Snow would be retiring, effective on Monday, January 14 (that would be today). Named to replace Snow was Dave Freygang, who has been serving as Executive Vice President for Bonnier’s Active Interest Division.

Freygang is a money guy, originally brought in 23 years ago by Snow to act as CFO of World Publications. World Publications at the time before it was acquired by Swedish publisher Bonnier, was comprised of such titles as Yachting, Islands, and Saveur Saveur being the old ball property as it was not tied to sports fishing and other Florida past times, and was published out of NYC.

"I’m very excited to be offered this new position,” Freygang said in the company announcement. "We see many new opportunities for our brands as we continue to expand our digital platforms and grow new audiences. These are both challenging and exciting times for special interest media and I look forward to working with the rest of the company to grow and strengthen Bonnier’s position in the U.S. market."

Hearst Newspapers this morning issued updates to its four newspaper tablet editions: San Francisco Chronicle for iPad, Houston Chronicle for iPad, San Antonio Express-News for iPad and Albany Times Union for iPad. The updates are bug fix related.

Other than these tablet editions, only one other tablet product has come out of a Hearst Newspaper lately, and that was 49er Insider, a tablet magazine created using the Mag+ platform. It turns out that venture was a pretty smart idea as the 49ers this weekend beat the Green Bay Packers to advance to the NFC championship game.