I’ve run websites with millions of monthly visitors, built mobile apps with hundreds of thousands of downloads, created online learning communities with over half a million registered users, and eaten a 24-oz peppercorn steak in one glorious sitting.

I’ve led product management, spoken internationally at conferences all over the world, blogged for over a decade, and built my own CMS. I live in Vancouver, Canada, play ice hockey, and subscribe to the VentureBeat statement of ethics.

FOR PR REPS:
I primarily cover Apple for VentureBeat. In addition, I also cover greentech and marketing technology.

As a PR pro, you’re totally aware that my inbox is totally flooded. If I don’t answer, it’s not because I’m rude, hate you, or just plain evil. At least, generally not. Short is most definitely sweet, and please keep pitches to my beats, unless we know each other.

stories by John Koetsier

More Apple iCloud woes: Apple reports Game Center, iTunes, and AppleID outages

Apple iCloud services for identity, Game Center, account creation and sign-in, iTunes store purchases are experiencing service failures this morning for some users, Apple says on its system status page.

Investor buys $2 billion of MSFT, says Microsoft ‘will win out’ as stock jumps 4%

Microsoft stock, which is down a penny today, jumped from under $30 to over $31 almost immediately overnight, and has climbed almost 11 percent over the last month. That's part of a fairly steady rise over the last three months which has added over $30 billion in value to the company.

Apple donates $8M in cash for Sichuan earthquake victims, plus Apple devices for local schools

Apple made the announcement on its Chinese home page today, along with a message of condolence, saying that "our hearts are with the victims of the Sichuan earthquake," and that Apple employees in the area would be on stand-by to help out with disaster relief efforts.

Apple wins Moto/Google court case over phone sensors, no iPhone ban at the border

Apple has won the lawsuit that Google division Motorola brought against it in summer 2012. The lawsuit, if successful, could have resulted in an import ban of iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.

Twitter and marketing company Starcom reach $200M+ ad deal

The deal is for "special access" to advertising slots, as well as research data and new, as-yet-unannounced advertising products, in return for which Starcom has committed to spend $200 million -- or more -- of its clients' money.

Apple: earnings, stock price, innovation … and what the company needs to do now

"iPhone 5 sales have failed to impress. There's been a lack of innovation over the past few years to come up with the next great device, and consumers have filed to see any differentiation. Samsung has captured the market."

Video is the new audio, as videoconferencing contender Vidyo grows 68% and raises $17M to grow even faster

"We want to price equivalent to a voice call," Shapiro says. "Our competitors offer an inferior product for more money: Blue Jeans 15 time more, and other competitors 300 times more."

Google Earth gets Leap Motion, now your hand can fly over the world like Superman

This morning Google announced that the next major version of Google Earth, available today, will support input from Leap Motion's innovative new gesture control technology. In other words, you'll be able to fly virtually around the planet, using your hand to guide and direct the software.

Google Now for the web: Google testing a much more data-heavy home page

In the early 2000's, then-Google VP of user experience Marissa Mayer used to get mysterious emails from a complete stranger, each containing only a single number: 45, 52, 56.

Sarah Hanson, the 19-year-old teen who auctioned 10% of her income for a $125K startup investment, may not exist

Last week I published the story of Sarah Hanson, the 19-year-old developer who auctioned off 10 percent of her future income in exchange for a $125,000 investment into her startup, Senior Living Map.

Today, I'm wondering if Sarah Hanson really exists.

Six keys to tweeting and sharing during a crisis

This week’s tragic events of the Boston Marathon explosions have given me a lot of think about. While I’m still deeply saddened, I couldn’t help but notice the viral impact of social media during times like these. While it’s awesome we can get news almost instantaneously, there’s also much at stake if we’re not careful with what we say and how we respond during these times or any other time.

One fifth of U.S. consumers want an Apple iWatch, sight unseen

A 1,713-strong survey of North American consumers says that 19 percent of us want a shiny new iDevice that doesn't even exist yet. Or, at least, isn't public and isn't purchasable.

Reddit outages today caused by a ‘malicious DDoS attack,’ not Boston manhunt traffic

The Internet's not working. Or at least the self-styled "front page of the Internet."

Why settle for Facebook Home when you can have Twitter Home, too?

So. Facebook Home doesn't work on your particular Android device. And you've seen that Facebook Home has an abysmal 2.2 average rating -- more than half of Facebook Home users rate it one single solitary lonely star.

What's a social news Android addict to do?

Chinese ‘app store’ lets you install pirated iPhone apps — without jailbreaking

Chinese "app store" 7659.com is using Apple's own bulk enterprise licensing system to distributed pirated apps to Chinese iPhone and iPad users, completely free.

Startups and immigration: 500 Startups, Google, and Creative Commons-backed Engine speaks to Congress

Silicon Valley has been prominent in the fight -- particularly around the Startup Act -- to admit immigrants who want to start businesses and create jobs.

Why 75 cents of every dollar spent on mobile advertising is spent on iPhone and iPad

There's a reason that even though Android has almost caught up to iOS in downloads, it's still way behind in monetization.

Photo: Apple’s new cheaper multi-colored iPhone surfaces, allegedly

Case manufacturer Tactus has published a photo that is allegedly Apple's new budget iPhone, a plastic-backed larger-screen iPhone that will reportedly retail for about $300.

Facebook fans just went up in value: BMW fans are worth $1,613, Starbucks $177, and Coke $70

Facebook fans who are worth over $1,600? How does that work?

The sad long story of Fisker Automotive, ‘the largest VC-backed debacle in U.S. history’

"Fisker spent a stunning $900,000 for each vehicle it produced," PrivCo chief executive Sam Hamadeh told me. "Then they sold them to dealers for an invoice price of just $70,000."