Daily Bits

adult content

Domain Sells for $13M: Guess the Name?

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We all know how some people go around buying up domain names like crazy in the hopes of selling them one day for big bucks.  Of course, not every domain that you buy will make you money, but every now and then someone gets lucky.  And, when that happens, we definitely hear about it.

So going on to this domain name that recently sold for big big bucks…It was originally owned by Gary Kremen, founder of well known site Match.com.  He registered it way back in 1994, but then “lost” the domain to Stephen Cohen, a conman, two years later.  The domain eventually changed hands and ended up belonging to a group called Escom LLC, which, in turn, went bankrupt.  The bankruptcy is the reason the domain was put up for auction mid-way through this year in July.

The highest bid has been revealed at $13 million, and the entity that put in that bid is known as Clover Holdings.  Unsurprisingly, not much is known about the company except that it is registered in the Caribbean Island of St. Vincent.  The sale isn’t final as of yet – the bankruptcy court will have to give its nod of approval first (October 27 is the date for the decision).

As astronomical as $13 million may seem, this is NOT the highest amount someone has paid for a domain name.  The highest recorded price for a domain name sale is $16 million – though you have to admit, at this range, $3 million is not much.  This domain is insure.com.

Saving the best for last…what is this domain that just got sold?

sex.com

What can we say? Sex indeed sells.

Playboy Apple iPad App Doesn’t Cut It

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The Apple iPad is perhaps the coolest e-book reader-other-gadgets combined you can ever have. It is not a surprise that many vendors and publishers are jumping into the iPad app bandwagon – they can reach so many more people by doing so. And, even the most conservative sectors cannot deny or stop the fact that providers of adult content are going to be part of this boom.

When it comes to adult content, perhaps there is no other better known brand than Playboy. If you didn’t know already, though, the brand has been encountering problems due to its being outmaneuvered by competitors. Struggling it may be, it is not giving up.

It recently launched an app for the iPad, but to the disappointment of users, it didn’t deliver. It may not be all Playboy’s fault – Apple has a strict policy when it comes to content for its apps. Indeed, content which Apple considers “obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory” is banned from the App Store. By definition, Playboy already gets x marks.

The result is predictable: users are frustrated about the whole set up. They have to pay $4.99 for the iPad app, and they want more than “articles.” (Yeah, for those countless individuals who have repeatedly said that they buy Playboy for the articles, where are you now?) I suppose that if the app were free, or at least priced more reasonably, the complaints would not be as bad.

Bottom line: it does not look like Apple will change its policy anytime soon. Maybe Playboy ought to take a look at its strategy – that is, if it wants to stay afloat.

Guys: would you pay $5 for this app?