Microsoft is in the middle of a marketing nightmare at the moment for the Xbox One, however its image took a further hit at E3 yesterday when Don Mattrick suggested that some consumers should buy an Xbox 360 if they don’t have a reliable Internet connection.
“Fortunately we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity,” he said bluntly in an interview with Geoff Keighley, a journalist for GameTrailers. “It’s called Xbox 360.”
Keighley was taken aback, perhaps not surprisingly, and responded with: “So stick with 360, that’s your message if you don’t like it?”
“Well if you have zero access to the Internet,” Mattrick continued, “that is an offline device.”
The quote from the interview is shown below, courtesy of Insomniac Gamers, although the full interview is available over on GameTrailers .
In the run-up to E3, there was a huge amount of speculation regarding how the Xbox One would handle pre-owned video games and digital rights management.
Microsoft cleared up some of this confusion with a series of articles posted on the Xbox website and shared through Major Nelson’s blog. It’s not quite as bad as some had feared, but still poses new and unforeseen restrictions on consumers.
The problem concerns the new cloud-based functionality of the Xbox One. Consumers can access their game library from any console because of this new feature. Likewise, game titles can be accessed from multiple Xbox Live accounts created in the same home.
Disc-based games can also be shared with a friend, but only once and provided they have been on the player’s friends list for at least 30 days. These restrictions are designed to stop online piracy; without them, it would be all too easy to share an Xbox Live account with a group of friends and save money by drawing from a single games library.
To ensure that the player’s collection is only being accessed from a single Xbox One console, and to keep track of lending, Microsoft is demanding that users check-in online at least once every 24 hours.
The decision has caused a huge backlash from players, however.
Sony has since tried to capitalize on Microsoft’s slip-up, announcing that no such measures will be imposed for its upcoming PlayStation 4 console .
The caveat is that Microsoft has given itself a get-out clause if fan uproar reaches a uprecedented peak:
Until that happens though, consumers with an unstable or restricted Internet connection will continue to eye the Xbox One with suspicion. Microsoft’s answer? Just stick with an Xbox 360.
*sigh*
Meet Mujjo’s latest line of luxurious leather sleeves for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Netherlands-based Mujjo has carved a sizable niche for itself in recent times, as a purveyor of classy, premium (AKA not-cheap) gadget accessories. We’ve previously looked at Mujjo’s range of slick felt and leather cases for iPhones, iPads and Macs , though the company is also known for its mobile-centric touchscreen gloves .
Mujjo has recently released two new lines of sleeves – the Low-Key Collection and Understated Collection , the former arriving in black, the latter in tan. We managed to get our hands on one of the Understated sleeves for the iPad mini, to see what it’s all about.
As with its other products, Mujjo says it has designed every sleeve from the ground up, with every component and piece of material developed by the company itself, in conjunction with the manufacturer.
“We spent months perfecting our leather, and managed to find ways to make it more durable, denser, and soft to touch,” explains Mujjo co-founder Tom Canters . “We also focused on its character. The leather wears in with use and acquires beautiful patina and polish over time.”
Strong words for sure, but how does it actually look and feel?
The slim-fit sleeves for iPhone 5s, iPad iPad mini and iPad Air are actually cut from a single piece of vegetable-tanned leather, but the way it’s been folded and stitched gives the impression it has multiple layers – especially with the pocket on the front. A single stitch has been used around the bottom and right-hand side to hold it all in place.
With the iPad mini version, I was able to squeeze the tablet in with its existing smart cover still attached, which means I didn’t have to decide between cases – there are benefits to being able to perch your iPad against the folds on the existing cover, while encasing it all inside the Mujjo.
That said, many people will want to use the Mujjo case on its own, and the iPad glides in and out easily without feeling too ‘loose’ inside.
The styles differ too, depending on what you’re looking for. There are envelope-type cases with straps across the front, as well as a zipped-version for a MacBook .
The prices range from €44.95 ($62) for a leather iPhone 5s wallet case, through to €84.95 ($117) for an iPad Air sleeve. And the iPad mini sleeve we sampled comes in at a hefty €69.95 ($97), which certainly lends it well to gifting – though if you enjoy pampering yourself with luxurious tablet cases, then the price won’t deter you.
At any rate, there’s little question these babies are quality – they are soft, elegant and ooze class. But you’ll have to dig a little deep if you want to get your hands on one.
➤ Low-Key Collection | Understated Collection
Despite PC slump, Lenovo reports record full-year sales of $34 billion, looks to mobile for growth
As the global PC market continues to spiral downwards , Lenovo , the world’s second-largest PC maker after HP , has reported solid earnings for its fourth fiscal quarter and full-year ended March 31, 2013.
The Chinese multinational is in fact boasting that, “despite a challenging macro-economic environment and ongoing PC industry transformation”, it has reached a record 15.5 percent PC market share for the full year.
All in all, it has shipped 52.4 million PCs during the year.
That has translated in record annual sales of $34 billion for the fiscal year, and $635 million in income after taxes (up 34 percent year-over-year).
It also reported an estimate-beating 90 percent rise in quarterly profit.
Notably, the company says in a statement that it will “enhance the profitability” of its core PC business but look to smart devices (tablets and smartphones) and enterprise hardware for future growth .
Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo Chairman and CEO, notes:
Also read:
As expected, Dell reports miserable $0.21 per share profit on revenue of $14.1B in Q1
Hewlett-Packard misses street on low PC sales with Q2 revenue of $27.6B and $0.87 EPS
Image credit: DIBYANGSHU SARKAR for AFP / Getty Images