The Backstory on China's 'Block' of Google+ 

Little media buzz and speculation has been directed at how Google (Nasdaq: GOOG)'s acrimonious relationship with China has affected the Google+ rollout and Google's expanding war with Facebook.

It was initially reported that less than a day after the new service was unveiled, the so-called "Great Firewall of China" moved to block access to Google+.

It turns out that those reports are overstated. The Great Firewall of China has not blocked access to Google+ entirely. Techniques such as "throttling" and DNS blockages appear to be the censorship tool of choice in this instance. Internet users within mainland China can ultimately still access the Google+ Website, but only at access speeds so painfully slow they're practically useless. This is the same method that the Chinese state uses to restrict access to Gmail and achieve its goal of reducing the use of Western Internet services without having to say that Websites are actually blocked.

It seems like the Chinese government has not done itself any favors by refusing to comment on the situation. Despite the fact that clarifications and corrections are circulating throughout the Web apologizing for initial reports that the site has been completely blocked in China, it seems unlikely that these secondary reports will grab the attention of the public the way the seemingly more likely story did. China has consistently made a habit of taking away tools that might help dissenters to organize and gain attention for their cause. Older social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, have long been banned within the People's Republic.

Perhaps the most amusing aspect of the coverage surrounding Google's product launch has been the lack of attention devoted to the company's gleeful advertisement of its privacy controls in a way that appears to be explicitly focused on drawing attention to how China and other nondemocratic states handle user data.

For example, accompanying the product launch was a video from a group that referred to itself as the Google+ Data Liberation Front. It features Google employees clad in gray and red military uniforms. Most of the faux soldiers seen in the video are posed in a way that mocks Maoist-era propaganda, while a Communist Party apparatchik hands the narrator tape-reels of user data. In contrast, the privacy-friendly Google Takeout appears on the table as a literal chicken fried rice container (an oddly coincidental choice!) that "allows you to take your data out of multiple Google products in one convenient package."

It seems entirely likely that Google's entertaining video was created with the express purpose of tweaking the nerves of China's 100,000 cyber-cops.

The ultimate fate of Google+ within China remains unclear -- but so does the eventual status of Google+ in the Western world. Google has attempted to enter the world of social networking twice before with Buzz and Wave, both of which flopped. One might question why Google+ would be different. Its proponents seem to believe that the answer lies in a feature known as "Circles." The timing may also be better for Google this time around. Facebook lost nearly 6 million members in the US alone during the month of May.

One thing: The more successful Google+ is in gaining a foothold as a social networking destination, the more likely it is that the People's Republic of China will contemplate a total block on the service.

Hannah Thoreson, a physics student and blogger at Arizona State University, contributed to this blog.

— William Foster is a faculty associate in the Science, Technology, and Society Program at Arizona State University, where he teaches classes on information technology and globalization.

Apple kills 13-inch MacBook, but is the new MacBook Air a good replacement?

Say it ain’t so! We heard rumors yesterday that Apple may be phasing out its entry-level laptop, the white 13-inch white MacBook, but we weren’t necessarily sure if the news was actually happening. After Apple launched a new line of MacBook Airs today, we can tell you that it is, in fact, true.

Though it hasn’t been officially announced by Apple, we can confidently say that Apple will no longer offer the white MacBook. To confirm the information, Apple has already taken the MacBooks off of its online store. All you’ll find now is the new line of MacBook Airs, the MacBook Pro, the new Mac mini, the iMac, and the Mac Pro. The URL “www.apple.com/macbook/white” now redirects us to the new page for today’s announced MacBook Air.

The MacBook was originally released in 2006 as a replacement for the iBook. In 2008, Apple released an updated version that traded Apple’s white plastic material for aluminum, but also got rid of the Firewire port and features that could be found in the MacBook Pro. The last version, released a little over a year ago, went back to the iconic white polycarbonate but in a unibody version.

We can see why Apple decided to stop selling the MacBooks. They just don’t fit into Apple’s sleek design, the one that encompasses the Airs and the Pros. The aluminum unibody has been a smashing success, while plastic had issues over the years. Plus we know that Apple doesn’t play in the entry-level market–the $999 MacBook Air is a very good system for its size while the $999 MacBook seemed like a lackluster offering compared to the 13-inch Pro (even if it did end up being a very good deal for a period).

The 11-inch MacBook Air, which is supposed to be the replacement for the MacBook, will start at $999 and boasts some pretty awesome features. The 11-inch and 13-inch models now offer Intel Sandy Bridge Core processors, a Thunderbolt port, a backlit keyboard, and OS X Lion. The base 13-inch model ships with a 1.7GHz dual-core Core i5 processor. Apple is claiming that the processors will make the MacBook Air up to twice as fast as its predecessor. It also has amazing battery life, lasting up to 7 hours during regular web usage. Plus, the machine boots up in about 12 seconds due to its Flash storage drive.

However, one thing missing that many people wanting to buy an entry-level MacBook will be upset about is an optical drive, which means customers will have to spend an additional $79 on an external SuperDrive to be able to use CDs and DVDs with their laptop. Then there is the screen size–an 11.6-inch display is no replacement for a 13-inch one. And the lack of ports on the Air wil cause headaches as well.

So, yes, the MacBook Air is close to being a replacement, but it’s not quite there. If you absolutely must have a laptop with an optical drive, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is going to be your only option, and that starts at $1199 –$200 more than the original MacBook price.

So, what do you think? Is the Air a sufficient replacement for the MacBook, a computer that’s been the “Average Joe” of Macs for the past five years? Also, will you go with the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro if you’re looking to buy a basic entry-level MacBook?

Is Apple planning to buy Hulu?

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple may be considering a bid for Hulu, which put itself on the market several weeks ago. So far, Hulu hasn’t managed to attract many bidders, but rumor has it that a number of large companies including Amazon and Microsoft are interested in purchasing the company.

Aside from the company behind it, the newsworthy part of this is that Apple is the first company rumored to be preparing an actual bid to buy Hulu. Hulu is currently owned by a consortium of media companies, including Disney, Comcast, NBC Universal, and News Corp, some of the companies that have been instrumental in providing licensing rights for content streaming on Hulu.

In order to sweeten the pot, those companies have offered bidders extended rights to the licensing and content agreements that Hulu already has, so the company doesn’t change hands and immediately have to renegotiate all of its content agreements.



There may be other buyers waiting in the wings however, as part of the reason the company went up for sale initially was because the equity firm that manages holdings in Hulu said there was a suitor ready to make an offer at that time. Whether they’ve backed out and Apple has stepped in or that suitor has been Apple all along is unclear, but if it is Apple, Hulu would make an interesting jewel in its media crown.

Apple currently doesn’t offer much in the way of streaming services that it controls: video rentals from iTunes are the extent of its product offerings, and in many cases consumers who do use iTunes for video prefer to buy and download than rent and stream. Apple has long avoided subscription-based content, and the company usually avoids large acquisitions, but it would be an attractive buy for Apple, which is clearly making a play for streaming, web-based entertainment and media.