Technology & Innovation — February 17, 2011

A Green and Bitter Apple

Yes, that’s right: Apple isn’t the best at everything. Apple's new fee structure for premium content not only risks anti-trust issues—its 30% cut is greedy, says TechCrunch.

bigthinkeditor

Yes, that’s right: Apple isn’t the best at everything. You can’t read an iBook on anything other than an iPad or iPhone, compared to Kindle which supports a half-dozen other platforms and the E-ink Kindle reader, which is a vastly better reading experience than any backlit display to boot. Oh, and users also stand to lose out on the pricing competition between the two eBook platforms. Similar comparisons can be made for other services that could potentially compete with Apple’s products: music, movies, TV shows, and so on.

View of a cityscape through a large glass window framed by steel beams, showcasing high-rise buildings burdened with debt under an overcast sky.

The Present

How we all got into debt

Consumer debt shapes American lives so thoroughly that it seems eternal and immortal, but it’s actually relatively new to the financial world.

Three men looking at a smartphone and laughing, embodying everyday philosophy, with two faded figures and a sketch of a thinker with a question mark.

Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: “Should I disinvite my bigoted friend from group trips?”

You've got to know when to fight and when to laugh.

A black and white image of Isaiah Berlin.

Business

Do you try to avoid your boss? For Isaiah Berlin that’s a big problem

Leadership evasion might seem like a plan for workplace freedom but it isn't a good thing — it's a denial of opportunity.

Starts With A Bang

How the cosmic microwave background proves the Big Bang

In the 20th century, many options abounded as to our cosmic origins. Today, only the Big Bang survives, thanks to this critical evidence.

A realistic illustration of earth in space, bathed in sunlight with a visible blue glow from the GaiaSignatures atmosphere.

Hard Science

Gaiasignatures: A new way to search for alien life

"I hope we take a mindset where we are willing to look for weird life in weird places."

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Kasparov Remembers Bobby Fischer

The circumstances were bizarre. The sudden return, the backdrop of war, a shady banker and arms dealer as a sponsor. But it was Bobby Fischer! One could not believe it.