About this Author
Sandy McMurray is a long-time technology journalist whose work has appeared in Time, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Sun, Report on Business, Profit, and other sources. Between 1995 - 2002, Sandy wrote a weekly column about technology for the Toronto Sun, and served as Technology Editor for five Sun Media newspapers. He has been publishing on the Web since 1996.
Contact: readme@mac.com
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Category Archives
December 07, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 NBC President Jeff Zucker says more NBC shows will soon be available via iTunes.
The NBC deal expands Apple's TV offering to 300 episodes of 16 different series and Zucker said that number will expand quickly as NBC Uni fills the iTunes pipe with new shows.
"You are going to see a series of announcements in the coming weeks," he said. Variety says NBC was motivated by the growth of illegal downloads -- the network estimates that there are 430,000 illegal downloads of Battlestar Galactica each week.
Read the whole Variety story here.
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Posted by Sandy
 NBC President Jeff Zucker says more NBC shows will soon be available via iTunes.
The NBC deal expands Apple's TV offering to 300 episodes of 16 different series and Zucker said that number will expand quickly as NBC Uni fills the iTunes pipe with new shows.
"You are going to see a series of announcements in the coming weeks," he said. Variety says NBC was motivated by the growth of illegal downloads -- the network estimates that there are 430,000 illegal downloads of "Battlestar Galactica" each week.
Read the whole Variety story here.
Update: As you can see in this new TV commercial, NBC plans to add SNL sketches and "the best of Bravo" to its iTunes lineup.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Headlines | Music
December 06, 2005
Posted by Sandy
Episodes from eleven TV shows owned by NBC, Sci-Fi and USA Network are now available for $1.99 on iTunes Music Store. NBC Universal and Apple today announced an unprecedented lineup of new primetime, cable, late-night and classic TV shows, including primetime hits such as “Law & Order” and late-night favorites such as sketches from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com). iTunes now offers more than 300 episodes of 16 popular TV shows for viewing on a computer or iPod. Customers have purchased and downloaded more than three million videos since their debut on October 12, making the iTunes Music Store the world’s most popular video download store.
NBC Universal programming now available on the iTunes Music Store spans from the 1950s to the present, including NBC’s “Law & Order,” “The Office,” “Surface,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with Conan O'Brien,” the USA Network’s Emmy Award-winning “Monk” and Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” as well as classic TV shows including “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Dragnet,” “Adam-12” and “Knight Rider,” on the iTunes Music Store beginning today. Customers can purchase and download their favorite shows, including current shows the day after they air on TV, and watch them on their computer or iPod. The NBC Universal programs will be available in newly designated areas of the iTunes Music Store featuring the NBC Universal brands, including the NBC network, Sci-Fi Channel and the USA Network.
“We’re thrilled to expand the iTunes video catalog with 11 popular TV shows from NBC, USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “In our first two months we’ve sold more than three million videos, and have expanded our TV catalog from five shows to 16 shows.” Like the deal with Disney/ABC, this distribution deal is U.S. only for now.
You can bet the phones are ringing at CBS and Fox today. And Paramount. And Sony. And...
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December 01, 2005
Posted by Sandy
After accepting the plea and a previously arranged deal with prosecutors on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton ordered Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiary, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., to pay $300-million (U.S.) — the second-largest fine in a criminal antitrust case in the United States...
Earlier this year, Seoul-based Hynix Semiconductor Inc. agreed to pay a $185-million fine; rival Infineon Technologies AG of Germany agreed to pay $160-million last year. A fourth chip maker, Micron Technology Inc. of Boise, Idaho, has been co-operating with prosecutors and was not expected to face charges. AP has the details.
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November 21, 2005
Posted by Sandy
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Posted by Sandy
Apple says it will prepay $1.25 billion USD over three months to secure a reliable supply of flash memory from five suppliers: Hynix, Intel, Micron, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba. “We want to be able to produce as many of our wildly popular iPods as the market demands,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. This is a neat move. This not only guarantees Apple access to the flash memory needed for future iPods, but also provides a potential headache for competitors that need to buy flash memory in quantity for their own MP3 players. (Has any company every prepaid this much for electronic components?)
Meanwhile, Intel and Micron announced the formation of a new company to manufacture flash memory, with an initial investment of $1.2 billion each.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Analysis | Headlines
November 17, 2005
Posted by Sandy
Although Mac systems are not affected by the Windows-specific Sony rootkit threat, there may be Mac-specific DRM on some recent Sony CDs.
Larry Loeb at SecurityITHub provides the details: Imogen Heap's new CD, "Speak for Yourself," on RCA Victor (a BMG subsidiary), has an extra partition for "enhanced" content. Along with Windows files, there is a Mac file present called "Start.app." Unlike the Windows version, the Mac malware is not hidden, and does not install itself automatically. You have to do it yourself.When run, a EULA is first displayed (which does inform the user that software is going to be installed without saying exactly what that software will do).
The user then is prompted by the program for a user name and password. After that information is provided, the program seemingly quits. However, it actually installs two kernel extensions, PhoenixNub1.kext and PhoenixNub12.kext, in the OS X system files. So. To infect your Mac, you must:
1. Trust Sony.
2. Be curious enough to install mystery software.
3. Locate the Mac software on the audio CD.
4. Manually start the installation process.
5. Override security with a user name/password.
Don't be so smug. This could happen. (Well, before this week, it could have happened. After this week, even people who lack common sense won't make it past #1.)
Loeb says the offending files appear to be part of a DRM solution sold by SunnComm.
Link: Sony DRM Comes in Mac Flavor Too
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Headlines | Music
Posted by Sandy
Forbes: EMI Says Apple's Jobs Will Change ITunes Pricing Today EMI Group boss Alain Levy said at press conference today that he believed Jobs would introduce multiple price points for iTunes music within the next year. The Forbes story doesn't add much to what we already know. It notes that executives from the big labels have been "pushing Jobs publicly and privately to move to a tiered pricing system." This public comment could simply be more of the same.
See also More or less than 99 cents
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November 16, 2005
Posted by Sandy
Has the success of the iPod given Apple too much control of the music business? I'm not sure how many consumers feel that way, but it certainly seems to be a problem for the recording industry.
Who will rescue the record labels? This article from Business 2.0 says we should keep an eye on Navio, a company "that wants to help shift the balance of power back to the media companies." Imagine if you went to a music site to buy a single download for 99 cents, but instead you were offered the option to purchase the perpetual right to that song. With this right, you could download the song to your PC, your iPod, or your cell phone in whatever format was appropriate. And if you got a new computer, or if the digital-rights-management software protecting the file changed one day, you wouldn’t need to buy the song again. Your rights to the song would be stored online. Pay once, and it would be yours forever. If you lost it, you’d just download it again. Or you could share the song with a friend, or even resell it, depending on what rights you bought. I would be delighted to get more rights with my purchase, but not if I have to buy a "bundle" with unwanted stuff (e.g. ringtones) to get it.
I'm skeptical of the article's claim that Navio-protected content will soon work with the iPod. Anything you can reverse-engineer, Apple can "fix" later with an iTunes or iPod update.
Finally, the idea that power should shift back to the labels strikes me as bizarre. Can we shift a bit more power to the artists and their audience please?
Read the article: The Empire Strikes Back
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November 04, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 Here's some new ammunition for those who think Apple's move to Intel processors is about building computers that can run both Mac and Windows applications.
Apple's U.S. patent application 0050246554 ("System and method for creating tamper-resistant code") describes scenarios in which the user would choose a "first operating system" and a "second operating system" from a set that includes Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Linux.
There's also mention of a virtual machine, and the option to choose between "Macintosh computer" and "Windows PC."
...continue reading.
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October 27, 2005
Posted by Sandy
AP reports that Yahoo plans to increase the price of its music rental service to $11.99 per month. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said Yahoo's low rental prices didn't impress most consumers because the service isn't compatible with Apple's iPod--which boasts about 75 percent of the market for portable players.
"About 90 percent of the (iTunes) music store's success has to do with the devices that it works with," Munster said. No word yet on whether the introductory pricing brought Yahoo a host of loyal customers.
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Posted by Sandy
 The front page of Apple.com notes the passing of Rosa Parks. The photo links to an inside page that tells you more about her life and accomplishments.
Mike Evangelist reflects on Apple's Think Different heroes and tells a story from 2001, related to the death of George Harrison.
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October 24, 2005
Posted by Sandy
After more than a year of speculation and false starts, Australia finally got its own iTunes Store today, with more than a million songs, music videos, exclusive content by local bands, podcasts, etc.
One little problem: Sony BMG isn't on board. "While the Australian iTunes store has agreements with major record companies such as Warner Music Group Corp., Universal Music and EMI Group Plc. it won't include artists managed by Sony BMG." New Zealand is still waiting.
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October 19, 2005
Posted by Sandy
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October 12, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 The pink Madonna iPod was a no-show, thank goodness, but there were several pleasant surprises at today's Apple media event, including new iPods with video and a new iMac with built-in media center software.
Updated iPod, available in black and white, adds larger screen and support for video content. iTunes store has 2,000 music videos at launch, plus Pixar short films, and -- for the U.S. market only -- TV programs from Disney and ABC.
Updated iMac G5 has built-in digital camera, new Front Row software for quick access to music, video, movie trailers, etc., The new Apple Remote lets you control Front Row from the couch. Apple Remote combined with new Universal Dock accessory gives you remote control of your iPod.
There are also new versions of iTunes and QuickTime.
Did I miss anything?
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October 11, 2005
Posted by Sandy
Apple's financial results for Q4 2005 included the highest revenue and earnings in company history, a significant increase in computer sales and continued success for iPod. Details to follow after the conference call.
from the official press release: “We’re thrilled to have concluded the best year in Apple’s history, with 68 percent year-over-year revenue growth and 384 percent net profit growth,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “This is the direct result of our focus on innovation and the immense talent and creativity at Apple. We could not be more excited about the new products we’re working on for 2006.”
“We’re very pleased to report 48 percent year-over-year growth in Mac shipments in Q4, as well as our 10th consecutive quarter of record iPod sales,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the first quarter of fiscal 2006 which will span 14 weeks, we expect revenue of about $4.7 billion. We expect GAAP earnings per diluted share of about $.46, including an estimated $.03 per share expense impact from non-cash share-based compensation, translating to non-GAAP EPS of about $.49.”
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Posted by Sandy
Microsoft settles with Real, and both parties are pleased as punch. "I'm eager to begin working together with the team at Microsoft," the company's chief executive, Rob Glaser, said during a joint appearance with his former boss and longtime nemesis, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. When you review the details of the settlement, it's not hard to imagine that Microsoft will eventually acquire Real outright and abandon its own music service.
With its last real problem solved, Microsoft can focus on crushing, er, competing with iTunes.
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September 28, 2005
Posted by Sandy
SanDisk explores the market for flash memory with built-in DRM. "The chip design company is introducing TrustedFlash, a memory chip with built-in security that prevents illegal copying. That could help calm the tension between the entertainment industry that wants strict controls on intellectual property and technology companies that want digital content to be freely transferable to cell phones, music players, computers and other gadgets.
"Eli Harari, chief executive of SanDisk, said in an interview that the new chips create more options for both entertainment companies and consumers alike. The entertainment companies can sell their songs, movies or games in different ways, and consumers can buy and view the entertainment where they want and whenever they want, as long as they pay for it." Read the whole article here.
The advantage of something like TrustedFlash is its potential compatibility with many electronic devices. The same music chip could be used in your mobile phone, MP3 player, car stereo, or television.
It's worth noting that Sony tried something like this (in a more proprietary way) with its MagicGate technology.
SanDisk announced that a version of the Rolling Stones' album "A Bigger Bang" will be sold on a TrustedFlash microSD or miniSD card in November. The price? US$39.99. This -- plus the fact that SanDisk is using the name "gruvi" to market TrustedFlash -- makes me skeptical of this tech. Why pay more for something that offers less than commercial CDs?
SanDisk is offering freedom from "lock-in" on a PC or iPod in exchange for lock-in to its own electronic prison. Plus, you lose the ability to mix and match songs. Like a commercial CD, the SanDisk card comes with a set play list.
Will SanDisk be able to grab a piece of the DRM distribution pie? According to an analyst contacted by Macworld, "the entire mobile device and content ecosystem" would have to change first.
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September 20, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 Apple has introduced several improvements to its .Mac service.
.Mac upgrades include:
- more e-mail and file storage (1 GB total, up from 250 MB)
- new forums, file sharing options (.Mac Groups)
- new and improved file backup tool (Backup 3)
- full French and German localization (in addition to English and Japanese)
First Impressions
Backup 3 has a different user interface, automatic backup for iLife files, and other new features that answer some of the requests I made here.
I'm sure it's no coincidence that this update took place just before the anniversary of the first paid .Mac subscriptions. Most original subscribers face renewal in the next 2-3 weeks.
Update: It looks like the QuickPicks system in Backup has been updated to allow third parties to add their own -- like this QuickPick for Delicious Library data. Very nice!
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September 14, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 Google BlogSearch indexes and searches the text of weblogs. All weblogs.
Finding stuff is just the beginning. For frequently-used searches, just bookmark your search results (just like Google News searches). This makes it easy to return and do the same search each day, or several times each day.
It gets better. Each search results page has its own XML feed, so you can bookmark the search result in your RSS reader software go through the results quickly without firing up Google BlogSearch at all.
So. If BlogSearch can find everything you need, and your browser can bookmark the resulting dynamic bookmark, do you need feed reader software?
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September 13, 2005
Posted by Sandy
"In a demonstration of Windows Vista, semitransparent windows on the computer desktop allowed users to see objects underneath, including moving video, while search results were displayed in real time as queries were typed in." - Reuters I spent this evening catching up on Microsoft news from this week's Professional Developers Conference.
A quick skim of the various announcements yields lots to tease Microsoft about, from the OS X look and feel of Vista and me-too Microsoft Gadgets to the remarkably transparent announcements of "embrace and extend" strategies (e.g. adding new "rich" features to RSS feeds). (And am I alone in hearing about Atlas and thinking that Atlas vs. Ajax looks like ActiveX vs. Java all over again?)
Update: I was wrong. Ajax -- short for Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) -- is not a technology in itself. The term refers to the use of several technologies together. Atlas (aka ASP.net) can't compete with Ajax because it's simply Microsoft's version of Ajax. Mea culpa!)
These are tempting topics, but I'll leave them alone until I finish watching the for-some-reason-very-choppy Windows Media webcast of today's Bill Gates keynote. I'm sure Sparkle is in there somewhere...
Meanwhile, skip the mainstream news headlines about Windows Vista and the new user interface for Office and check out some of these cool bits:
- Start.com (a.k.a. "A Preview of Web 3.0")
- Microsoft Max (aka Codename Max - free photo sharing)
- Microsoft Gadgets (Microsoft's Konfabulator)
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September 09, 2005
Posted by Sandy
Has Sony borrowed from iTunes to redesign its SonicStage Connect store software, or is this screen shot a fake?
link
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Posted by Sandy
Chosun reports that some Korean electronics companies are grumbling about Apple's flash memory deal with Samsung. The domestic MP3 player industry is sulking, saying the iPod nano owes its exceptionally low price to Samsung Electronics...
But Samsung Electronics executive Joo Woo-sik defends the company. "I can’t tell you the discount rate, but it stands to reason that we expand the range of discount rates for a big buyer like Apple," he said. "Samsung didn’t mean to do any harm to domestic MP3 manufacturers."
But they are unhappy. Reincom spokesman Kim Dong-hwan said, "We can hardly declare a price war with Apple. We’ll counter Apple’s challenge by releasing new concept products." So, to recap:
- Apple competitors say its products cost too little
- They plan to compete with originality and innovation.
Ah, irony.
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September 08, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 A posting on Macslash questions Cingular's claim to be exclusive carrier for the iTunes phone, and cites my TechStuff article as evidence.
In fact, Cingular did have an exclusive on launch day, and will continue to be the exclusive U.S. carrier for the iTunes phone. Rogers Wireless, the exclusive Canadian carrier, gets the phone later this month.
Here's the list of international partners from Motorola's press release: U.S. -- today, exclusively with Cingular
U.K. -- expected to be available first with Carphone Warehouse in mid-September and with O2, Orange, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile and other top retailers by late September
France – expected to be available by late September through Bouygues
Italy -- expected to be available by late September through distributor and operator channels
Canada -- expected to be available in mid- to late-September with Rogers Wireless
Hong Kong -- expected to be available by late September through multiple retail outlets and operator channels
Australia, Singapore and the Philippines -- expected to be available late September through early October through retail and operator channels
Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and other markets throughout the world -- expected to be available in the fourth quarter
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September 01, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 Weirdness.
The Mac mini Test Drive promotion at the online Apple Store is dead.
There are plenty of reasons to try something like this, and plenty of reasons not to, but it's thoroughly weird to launch it then shut it down. Was it rogue marketing or a premature launch of a planned promotion?
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August 29, 2005
Posted by Sandy
Is Microsoft planning to open retail stores?
According to the New York Post, Microsoft is "on the prowl" for retail space in Times Square. "The move would be the software giant's first big stab at retail and may be an attempt to play catch-up with archrival Apple, which has hit a home run with its own branded stores, including its New York City flagship in SoHo. Microsoft is looking for a large space to create a 'branding experience' a la Apple's showroom and information center." If the retail rumor is true, I bet it's for an Xbox store. "Microsoft retail store" is a straight line, not a strategy. For example: Top 10 things overheard at the Microsoft retail store:
• "Please check all torches and pitchforks at the door."
• "You can browse, but you must use Internet Explorer."
• "It does work. You just need the patch."
• "We don't support that. Try the [partner name] store."
• "Very funny. No, we don't sell copies of Monopoly."
• "Please see the officer at the Authentication Bar."
• "The next version of the Microsoft Store should have that."
• "I'll give you an Xbox if you stop crying."
• "What other choice do you have?"
• "Beep. You seem to be shopping for an iPod. Can I help?"
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August 23, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 This week's big news is Google Talk, Google's entry into the instant message and voice over IP markets.
Download Squad reports that Google Talk works with Jabber-compatible chat software. Although there is no Mac client yet, TUAW confirms that it works with iChat.
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August 22, 2005
Posted by Sandy
According to this Reuters article, some in the music industry would like to see Apple knocked down a peg or two. The market dominance of iPod + iTunes permits Apple to call some of the shots, and that's making some music execs uncomfortable.
...continue reading.
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August 19, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 The first generation of all-in-one iMac G5 computers had some video and power issues. Apple has announced a repair program for customers who bought affected units.
...continue reading.
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August 18, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 How much would you expect to pay for a used iBook?
More than $50? I thought so.
Panic ensues in rush for cheap laptops "More than 1,000 people turned out at the Richmond International Raceway in hopes of getting their hands on one of the 4-year-old Apple iBooks, which retail for between $999 and $1,299. The Henrico County school system was selling 1,000 of the computers to county residents.
"Officials opened the gates at 7 a.m., but some already had been waiting for hours in line. When the gates opened, it became a terrifying mob scene.
"People threw themselves forward, screaming and pushing each other. A little girl's stroller was crushed in the stampede. Witnesses said an elderly man was thrown to the pavement, and someone in a car tried to drive his way through the crowd." Photos of the event are here.
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January 12, 2005
Posted by Sandy
 The mood on the show floor here at Macworld Expo is very positive. It's nice to attend a show where the exhibitors are upbeat and sincerely excited about the stuff they're selling.
There's an interesting mix of big name hardware and software vendors, audio and video companies, and smaller, start-up and shareware vendors. The big growth this year seems to be in products related to the iPod. The accessories market is booming.
...continue reading.
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Posted by Sandy
Today's quarterly report from Apple provided the first hard evidence of the so-called "halo effect" -- the idea that iPod sales will help to increase sales of Mac computers.
...continue reading.
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January 11, 2005
Posted by Sandy
Here are my point-form notes from today's Macworld keynote presentation.
...continue reading.
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Posted by Sandy
 The big headlines from today's Steve Jobs keynote at Macworld will come from small products that represent a big strategic shift for Apple.
iPod shuffle ($99, $149) targets the market for low-priced digital music players that use flash memory.
Mac mini ($499, $599) targets the low end of the PC market.
Time for me to eat crow: I was wrong. I didn't think Apple would enter either of these markets. These releases challenge the company's tradition of releasing premium products at premium prices, and should help bring many more people to the Mac platform.
I'll have more on the keynote announcements shortly.
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January 08, 2005
Posted by Sandy
According to this BBC story, Californian Thomas Slattery is seeking damages from Apple because songs he purchased from the iTunes Store can only be played on an iPod. "Apple has unlawfully bundled, tied, and/or leveraged its monopoly in the market for the sale of legal online digital music recordings to thwart competition in the separate market for portable hard drive digital music players, and vice-versa," the lawsuit said. Unlawfully? I doubt it. By that logic, gamers who bought Ratchet & Clank can sue Sony for "forcing" them to buy a PS2.
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December 02, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 The Canadian iTunes Music Store is finally open for business, at 99 cents (Canadian) per song.
Based on the opening day inventory, I suspect the ink is still wet on some of the legal agreements, but the store is open, and that's what counts. Let the download frenzy begin!
I made my first purchase: At Last by Etta James.
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December 01, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Welcome to December. So much for the November launch of the iTunes Music Store in Canada.
The natives are restless. We've been up all night drinking beer, eating back bacon and punching reload on Apple.ca. After all, if the store had launched at 2:59 am California time, that would still have been November, technically speaking.
Watch it, Apple. If you're not careful, we'll take our piles of 99 cents and go to one of the other online music stores that supports Macs.
Like, um...
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October 26, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Contrary to what you may read elsewhere, the news at today's Apple event was not all about Canada.
- iPod Photo
- iTunes 4.7 released
- U2 Special Edition iPod
Contrary to earlier speculation, Apple did not add photo browsing to existing iPod products. iPod Photo is an entirely new product line, with a higher price tag than the iPod mini or regular iPod.
Editorial note: This item has been updated to correct my bad math.
...continue reading.
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Posted by Sandy
iTunes store for Canada? Not today. Best of luck to the Red Sox.
Update: "Apple today also announced it will launch the iTunes Music Store in Canada in November."
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October 25, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Q: How are Canadian Mac fans like Red Sox fans?
A: We've had our hearts broken many times in the past.
On the other hand, maybe this is our year --
just like the Red Sox.
On the eve of the U2 iTunes event, iTunes has locked Canadians out of the American iTunes store. Previously, the software allowed Canadian users to browse the U.S. store after displaying a warning; now it just displays the flags of the four current iTunes stores (i.e. USA, UK, France and Germany).
Update: You can still browse using the "Browse" button, but you can't enter other iTunes store(s) the old way.
Will the iTunes store go worldwide tomorrow? Will Canadians be able to buy music from their own iTunes store? My hopes are high, but it's probably better to brace for another heartbreak.
Stay tuned...
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October 23, 2004
Posted by Sandy
The sky began to fall October 22, thanks to this discussion on MacInTouch. Readers learned that the first ever virus for Mac OS X had been found. Again!
No, wait... the sky is not falling. If you read the reaction to the story on Macintouch you discover that "Opener" (aka Renepo) is not a worm or a virus. It's a script that can do quite a bit of mischief if it runs on an OS X system that has already been compromised.
Here's a pithy summary from anti-virus maker Sophos:
Note that any attacker trying to plant this worm in your network would need to get root access on one of your boxes first, meaning that you would already be "owned".
In other words: this is a root kit, not a virus or a worm.
Nothing to see here. Move along, please.
...continue reading.
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September 01, 2004
Posted by Sandy
If I had a nickel for every time someone bought a song a recommended...
What? I can get a nickel every time?
Apple is making it possible for qualified partner sites to earn 5% of all "qualifying revenue" generated by click-through from the new iTunes Affiliate Program. The affiliate program is a partnership with LinkShare.
I bet the phone is ringing today at Commission Junction...
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Posted by Sandy
You can see a preview of the MSN Music store right now at beta.music.msn.com. Follow this link for details.
First look: the site works in every browser I've tried, and does not require any special software to sign in. It's interesting (and a bit weird) that the site includes advertising for non-music products ("Sponsored Sites"), and the links for "TV" and "MOVIES" suggest a future strategy for "MSN Entertainment" (not just tunes).
Update: Still no luck for Canadians. MSN Music appears to be U.S. only.
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August 31, 2004
Posted by Sandy
The critics have spoken: Apple's new iMac G5 is derivative and boring, a big disappointment, and a missed opportunity.
Memo to Apple: the next iMac should have these features: - revolutionary, stylish design
(but nothing too-strange looking) - everything a Media Center PC can do
(but priced lower than a bare-bones Windows PC) - stable, reliable, and dependable
(but behaves just like a Windows PC) - built from both matter and anti-matter
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Posted by Sandy
 The $1,299 price tag and the all-in-one design won't please anyone who was hoping for a cheaper Mac or a headless Mac, but the new iMac G5 -- "from the creators of iPod" -- offers better value than the computer it replaces.
The new 17" iMac G5 costs $1,299 -- the same as the former entry-level 15" iMac G4. The new iMac G5 has a larger, widescreen LCD, a faster G5 processor running at 1.6 GHz (up from 1 GHz), a better video card and twice as much video memory.
The differences between the new 20" iMac G5 and the model it replaces are even more dramatic. The specs went up but the price went down.
...continue reading.
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August 27, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Recognizing that the iPod is more than a music player, HP has equipped its new mobile photo printer to recognize the iPod as storage device.
Translation: you can print the photos stored on your iPod hard drive without a computer. Just connect the iPod to the printer, select the picture you want, and print.
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Posted by Sandy
 The first iPods from a company other than Apple will ship on September 15. You can order one now from hp.com/music.
Eschewing the name Hpod, the new iPod players from HP are called Apple iPod from HP. For marketing purposes, HP will use the logo above.
Also announced today: HP will put its mark on the iPod -- literally -- with an invention called HP Printable Tattoos. These will be protective wrappers stamped with album art. You will be able to print your own photos or art on a Printable Tattoo -- using an HP printer, of course.
The Apple iPod from HP will be the current iPod (fourth-generation) in two versions: 20 GB storage for $299, and 40 GB storage for $399.
You can order one now from hpshopping.com.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Gadgets | Headlines
August 19, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Big news of the day: PocketMac BlackBerry Edition - $29.95.
from the PocketMac site: "PocketMac BlackBerry Edition takes care of everything for you. Install the software on your Mac in 3 minutes, configure which options you want enabled (Entourage Calendar, iCal, Tasks, etc.), connect your BlackBerry to your Mac via USB or Serial Cable, and start the sync. That's all that's required. That's literally it." The program works with the RIM 957 and BlackBerry 5810, 6210, 6230, 6280, 6510, 6710, 6750, 7210, 7230, 7280, 7510, 7730, 7750 and 7780.
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July 12, 2004
Posted by Sandy
What happens when the copy-protection on a commercial CD makes it incompatible with Apple's best-selling digital music player? People complain and ask for changes, that's what. (Ah, the advantages of being a market leader..). "If you look at the 500 or 600 customer service comments we've gotten, you see that 80 percent of them have to do with iPod compatibility," said SunnComm International Chief Executive Officer Peter Jacobs, whose technology was loaded on last month's chart-topping Velvet Revolver disc. "The rest are, 'Why can't I do what I want with my music.' And a lot of those are really iPod questions too." Read the rest here.
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| Category: Headlines
June 30, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Would you trade in an old iPod to get $100 off a Dell DJ? "I think it's unlikely that iPod users are going to give up their old iPods," said Tim Deal, analyst at Technology Business Research, despite Dell's "innovative and aggressive marketing strategy."
There are more reasons, Deal said. The iPod "is not just about the hardware, it's about the entire experience. Apple still offers the best integrated experience, from using the iTunes music store and application to the (iPod) hardware. It's easy to use," Deal said. Deal said he has tried both the iPod and players based on Microsoft software, such as the DJ.
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| Category: Headlines
June 29, 2004
Posted by Sandy
It's interesting to watch the WWDC 2004 keynote and note when the audience of Mac developers applaud or gasp or groan.
During Jobs' presentation of the new metadata indexing feature in OS X Tiger, the burst of applause came not for the search itself, but when Jobs showed that searches can be saved as "Smart Folders" in the Finder and "Smart Groups" in Address Book. The technology itself isn't the story -- it's these amazing self-updating tools that use the Spotlight tech. Cool.
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| Category: Headlines
June 09, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 The new Power Macs, which were announced today, feature dual G5 processors and high bandwidth -- up to a 1.25GHz frontside bus per processor. The new "best" Power Mac has two processors running at 2.5 GHz and features an advanced liquid cooling system.
The dual 1.8 GHz and dual 2.0 GHz models are available now, but the liquid-cooled model will not ship until July. (Perhaps the "advanced liquid cooling" is Aquafina water, provided by Pepsi.)
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| Category: Headlines
June 08, 2004
Posted by Sandy
The Beatles' music is not available for online purchase. Not yet, anyway. But you can bet that every online music store would love to make a deal; preferably, an exclusive deal to sell Beatles songs online.
If you've ever wondered what tough business negotiations are like, here's a small sample. The following is a partial transcript of secret, behind-the-scenes negotiations between Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs, Apple Corps, the public face of the Beatles, and EMI, the group's record label.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
June 07, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 As noted here: Apple has released a new security update for Mac OS X. After this update, every new application will require user approval to run for the first time. This solution should reduce the risk of running a program that comes disguised as another type of file.
Use Software Update to get the fix or use one of these links:
- for Mac OS X 10.3.4
- for Mac OS X 10.2.8
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
 AirPort Express, announced today, is brilliant in its simplicity.
In addition to wireless Internet and print sharing, AirPort Express users gain the ability to send music to any stereo from iTunes. (It's also going to come in handy for travel, when you want to be wireless in your hotel room, for example. rather than tethered to a desk.)
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
June 03, 2004
Posted by Sandy
McDonalds and Sony have announced a promotion that will bundle free songs with Big Macs.
Starting June 8, U.S. customers who buy a Big Mac Extra Value meal will get a code good for one free song from the Connect music store. The deal will be offered in Europe as well several weeks later.
Details here.
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| Category: Headlines
May 25, 2004
Posted by Sandy
John Gruber has the best wrap-up of this week's OS X security flap. Security Update 2004-05-24 fixes the Help Viewer ‘help:runscript’ vulnerability, but you still have to manually uncheck "Open 'safe' files after downloading" in Safari's preferences.
Although news.com says that Apple's security update does not plug the security hole, it's not clear to me which update they're talking about -- I got one update via the OS X Software Update service on Friday, but another update has been released since then.
If you're concerned about this, keep your eye on the Apple downloads page.
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| Category: Headlines
May 18, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Founder Technology, the second-largest PC maker in China, will distribute Apple's iTunes music software with Founder computers. News.com reports: Founder chairman Wei Xin said the deal lets Founder be the first to offer iTunes in China. "Digital music is becoming very important in the Chinese PC market, and Apple's iTunes is the runaway market leader," Xin said in a statement.
Technology Business Research senior analyst Tim Deal said the number of potential customers in China offers Apple a way to significantly boost iPod sales in Asia.
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| Category: Headlines
May 17, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Freshly Squeezed Software has taken the wraps (peel?) off its new software. Pulp Fiction is a newsreader with a decidedly Mail-like user interface.
Pulp Fiction may not be as quick or scalable as the champ, NetNewsWire, but it's a fine effort, and cheaper, too. Try 'em both and see which one is your favourite.
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| Category: Headlines
May 12, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Wired News reports on Apple's music library: The programming director of the [iTunes Music] store is a former radio deejay who's constantly looking for places to find old and out-of-print music. His team of music programmers are experts in world music, hip-hop, rock and classical, to name a few genres. In addition to their own expertise, the iTunes staff regularly collects suggestions from Apple Computer employees, customers and anyone who's looking to fill a hole in his or her music collection. What if you want to suggest a song yourself? Visit the iTunes Feedback page, and select the "Request Music" option.
The article does not mention customer searches, but I'm sure Apple collects and analyzes
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| Category: Headlines
May 11, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 IDG reports that Microsoft is getting out of the wireless hardware business. The company's current inventory of Wi-Fi products will be sold off; support for the products will end when their warranties expire.
I'm sorry to see Microsoft leave this market. As a Mac and Windows user, I benefitted from the interoperability between Microsoft hardware with AirPort products. I have nothing but good things to say about the Microsoft hardware.
Although the company has not provided a reason for leaving this market, I can guess. Competition is fierce, profit margins are low, and no one can think of new features to make us pay more. It's time to move on.
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| Category: Headlines
May 10, 2004
Posted by Sandy
The Vaio Pocket will go on sale in Japan on June 5. The new portable music player has a 20 GB disk drive and a tiny color screen. According to this Macworld article, the Vaio Pocket VGF-AP1 will be a bit bulkier than the 20 GB iPod, and will cost about $70 more, but will have longer battery life and a color screen.
Meanwhile, Sony's new online music store needs some work. Rob Pegoraro's review in Fast Forward called Connect "an embarrassment to the company that gave the world the Walkman."
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| Category: Headlines
April 29, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Apple has expanded its iBook repair program to cover units made between May 2002 and October 2003. Affected systems have symptoms related to bad video (e.g. lines on the screen, video freezes and stuttering) caused by a problem with the logic board.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
April 26, 2004
Posted by Sandy
c|net has a new download site for free MP3 files: music.download.com. News of the launch appeared on c|net itself today, in an item contributed by Reuters.
The popular Download.com site will be divided into three distinct categories (software, games, and music), with music featured at the new Web address.
Meanwhile, c|net also plans to relaunch mp3.com as "a source of information" about bands, artists, and the hardware/software used to enjoy their music.
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| Category: Headlines
April 23, 2004
Posted by Sandy
from Macworld UK A Japanese company has been deluged with thousands of orders for multiple eMacs this week after computer error caused them to be listed on an online shopping site for the knock-down price of £14 a pop. 100 million eMacs were ordered before the site was fixed.
The low price was published because of an ordering-number mixup between the company and its online partner, Yahoo! Japan. Both companies have apologized, but neither has offered to fulfill the orders at the published price.
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April 19, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Chicken or egg question of the day: did Adobe drift away from Apple because of products like Motion and Final Cut Pro HD, or did Apple develop products like Motion and Final Cut Pro because Adobe was drifting away?
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
Today's New York Times has an article about Connect -- the new online music store coming soon from Sony.
The Connect store strategy, as described by the NYT article, sounds a lot like Apple's approach: no subscription fee; singles will sell for 99 cents, albums for $9.95; a planned promotion with McDonalds restaurants.
The proposed service also shares at least two of the perceived flaws in the Apple strategy: Connect will be tied to Sony hardware devices, and will sell songs encoded in a Sony-controlled, lossy audio format.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
Apple introduced new iBook and PowerBooks today, including -- for the first time -- the option to get a DVD-burning "SuperDrive" in an iBook. This update also pushes all Apple portable products to 1.0 GHz processors or better.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
Final Cut Pro HD, the latest version of Apple's professional video editing software, adds support for high-quality native DVCPRO HD as well as real-time support for DV and SD.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
Apple announcements made today at NAB 2004: - Shake 3.5 compositing software adds "shape-based morphing and warping" effects, and improved support for importing and exporting of uncompressed video.
- Final Cut Pro HD adds the ability to capture, edit, and output broadcast-quality HD video over FireWire.
- DVD Studio Pro 3 promises improved integration with Adobe Photoshop plus a new Graphical View and more transition options/effects.
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| Category: Headlines
April 15, 2004
Posted by Sandy
According to this piece in the New York Times, RealNetworks made a direct appeal last week to Apple Computer, its Internet music rival, suggesting that the two companies form a common front against Microsoft in the digital music business. Any port in a storm, eh?
RealNetworks has a problem. The company lacks a coherent strategy for future success in online music sales. Like Apple, RealNetworks uses the AAC audio file format rather than Microsoft's WMA file format. However, unlike Apple, Real does not build or sell hardware music players, and has no way to force adoption of its own "locked" version of AAC. Long-term, the company must adopt Microsoft's "locked" WMA format, Apple's AAC format, or build a successful music device to compete with the iPod. Good luck.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
April 14, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Second quarter results from Apple, announced today, included an increase in profitability and a 29% increase in revenue (compared with 2003).
Also -- for the first time, I think -- unit sales of iPods exceeded unit sales of Mac computers.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
April 13, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Apple has announced a speed bump and price drop for its eMac desktop computer. The more expensive model with built-in DVD-recording SuperDrive now sells for $999.
The new models have faster processors, faster ATI Radeon graphics, USB 2.0 ports, and adds the option of wireless Bluetooth as well as wireless Wi-Fi (a.k.a. AirPort).
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Posted by Sandy
Apple says it's investigating complaints of static in the iPod mini.
According to this thread on iPodLounge.com, a connector inside the device may be to blame.
Update: Based on photos available here, it's easy to see how pressure applied to the flexible case of the iPod mini could damage the headphone connectors inside. Apple has already replaced several new minis under warranty, and will no doubt update the design to fix this problem.
Meanwhile, if you're hearing crackle or static from the headphone jack of your new iPod mini, be sure to report it to Apple before the warranty expires!
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| Category: Headlines
April 10, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Two days ago, a company called Intego claimed to have isolated the first trojan to target Mac OS X. False alarm. On Friday, Mac programmers and security experts accused the company of exaggerating the threat to sell its security software.
"They gave the impression that this is a threat, but it isn't," said Dave Schroeder, a systems engineer with the University of Wisconsin. "It is a benign proof of concept that was posted to a newsgroup. It isn't in the wild, and can't be spread in the wild. It's a non-issue."
"They are spreading FUD to sell their software," said Ryan Kaldari, a programmer from Nashville, Tennessee, referring to the shorthand for fear, uncertainty and doubt.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
The author of the PlayFair software, which makes it possible to play copy-protected AAC files without iTunes, says Apple lawyers sent him a cease and desist letter regarding the software.
Instead of ceasing or desisting, he has moved the project from SourceForge to Sarovar.org.
Update (April 16): The project has now been removed from Sarovar.org as well.
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| Category: Headlines
March 26, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Noticed here: a media player called VideoLAN client (VLC) can play protected AAC files, provided you have the user key.
In other words, music you buy from the iTunes store can now be moved beyond the 3-computer limit imposed by Apple (provided you use VLC to play the songs).
Apparently "DVD Jon" Johansen reverse engineered FairPlay support into the VLC player.
And.... here come the lawyers.
Update: Shame on me for not paying attention. This is old news.
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| Category: Headlines
March 25, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 ImageWell is a simple utility for drag and drop resizing and cropping of images. It's no threat to Photoshop or even GraphicConverter, but it's useful and free.
Also this week: the latest release of the open source word processor AbiWord includes a new version for Mac OS X. (The server is busy right now, but keep trying.)
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
Apple says iPod mini is selling like hotcakes in the U.S. That's the good news.
The bad news is that the worldwide release date is being moved back from April to July in order to meet U.S. demand.
On behalf of Canada, let me say this: Boo!
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| Category: Headlines
March 15, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Leander Kahney on the seductive power, the irresistible "buy me" vibes of the iPod mini: The previous three generations of the iPod, each smaller and silkier than the last, were merely prototypes for the mini.
Who cares if the 15-GB iPod costs just $50 more? Everyone interviewed at Macworld who had seen the mini had been charmed by its glamour. The specs didn't matter; they had to have one, and the cost be damned.
That's why competing players like Dell's DJ, Archos' Jukebox or Creative's MuVo2 stand little chance of unseating the iPod as the top player on the market: None is as cool, as slick, as pleasurable to hold, use or listen to as the iPod mini.
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| Category: Headlines
March 12, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Today's launch of a new HP Music Web site and the debut of an HP-specific download page on Apple.com signal the beginning of the rollout of the HP/Apple music alliance. HP and Apple have partnered to bring the award-winning iTunes music jukebox software onto your PC and into your digital world! Now you can enjoy the revolutionary digital music experience that's changing the way the world listens, all in the comfort of a Windows-based environment. That last bit looks like a concession to Microsoft, doesn't it?
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| Category: Headlines
March 11, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Hitachi makes a device called a "microdrive" -- a tiny hard drive that works like a compact flash memory card.
This handy gadget, originally developed by IBM, didn't take off right away because the price was too high for the target market (e.g. digital cameras, MP3 players, etc.). In fact, it's still too high -- if you try to buy a 4 GB Hitachi microdrive today, you can expect to pay about $500.
Or you could get one free inside a $250 iPod mini...
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
ExtremeTech asks, "Why is Apple MIA from the living room?"
The answer, as discussed here, is that Apple CEO Steve Jobs envisions the computer, not the TV, as the "digital hub" of the future. TV is competition.
Another problem is margins. Unless Apple can make a decent profit on each unit sold, it makes no sense to enter the market (unless not doing so will somehow doom the company).
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| Category: Headlines
March 09, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 "FileMaker today announced the immediate availability of FileMaker Pro 7 the most significant new version of FileMaker Pro ever, with breakthroughs in ease-of-use, customizability and developer productivity."
The new version adds long-awaited features like the ability to open multiple windows in the same database at once, and a relational database architecture. Each FileMaker file now has capacity for 8 terabytes of data -- roughly 4,000 times the old limit.
You can get more information here.
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| Category: Headlines
March 08, 2004
Posted by Sandy
The Xserve G5 server, which was supposed to ship by the end of February, is now expected to ship "in March." This article quotes Tim Deal, Senior Analyst with Technology Business Research, who says the delay could hurt Apple's reputation with new customers.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
March 05, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Day Two of very active trading in AAPL. Reuters says: Shares of Apple (AAPL: Research, Estimates) rose $1.58, or 6.3 percent, to $26.74 on the Nasdaq. Volume was 27.5 million shares, more than five times its three-month daily average. The stock has climbed 25 percent so far this year. Earlier, the shares rose as high as $27.49. It's not immediately clear why Apple stock was so active today, although solid iPod mini sales and speculation about a Sony takeover (not likely) appear to be the cause.
In fact, it's been more like two years since Apple's stock price was this high.
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| Category: Headlines
March 01, 2004
Posted by Sandy
"The Apple Developer Connection is offering student scholarships to attend this year’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, California June 28 through July 2, 2004. Winners of a student scholarship receive a free student e-ticket to the conference. To put that in perspective, the regular attendee price is a cool US $1,595.
"You can apply for a scholarship online, right now. Be sure to have a PDF version of your resume on hand, because you’ll need to upload it as part of the application form. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM Pacific time, Friday, March 12, 2004.
"To be eligible for a scholarship to WWDC 2004, you must be currently enrolled as a part-time or full-time student at a college or university, have a student identification number, and be at least 18 years of age."
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
This article from Reuters is the latest to ask if the iPod mini costs too much.
I guess that depends on your definition of too expensive. I was fascinated to discover that the 4 GB microdrive found inside the iPod mini sells for more than $249 by itself. As the Reuters article notes: Pricing on hard-drive players is still ruled by manufacturing costs -- a fact that is preventing Apple and others from pricing portable devices more cheaply. Obviously, the mini isn't too expensive in terms of its value; the real issue is the "sweet spot" for pricing. Everyone would like to see a $99 iPod, but it's not going to happen any time soon.
Comments (2)
| Category: Headlines
February 25, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Lawrence Lessig writes about Grey Tuesday: In [the American] legal system, permission is required to remix others’ art... The Grey Album is therefore illegal art. In spite of the fact that the Grey Album is clearly illegal under current U.S. law, more than 150 sites made the music available for download yesterday.
As I noted in this item, we're likely going to see more of this as young people play around with inexpensive and easy to use audio software like GarageBand.
Here's a thought: perhaps we're heading for the "mass amateurization" of commercial music?
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| Category: Headlines
February 24, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Frustrated by spam? Check out JunkMatcher.
"Apple's built-in Mail.app has a wonderful, statistically trained junk filter. Unfortunately, spammers nowadays use various tricks to conceal the real things they want to say (use of graphics, encoded characters, etc.). If you're going nuts about this, download the small tool I wrote, and follow the instructions below to use various effective techniques such as IP-based filtering, and flexible regular expressions to identify those sneaky junk mails."
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
Motorola has announced a new G4 processor, designed "for power-sensitive applications that require gigahertz-class performance." The MPC7447A offers developers on-chip power management features, such as the ability to change clock frequencies dynamically. This capability enables users to change CPU clock speed on the fly and significantly reduce processor power consumption to match performance with application requirements. The MPC7447A processor also contains a temperature sensing diode that can be used to monitor die temperature under various operating conditions. That sounds perfect for notebooks, doesn't it? I guess it's going to be a while before we see a 64-bit PowerBook G5.
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| Category: Headlines
February 20, 2004
Posted by Sandy
The new iPod mini is now available in the U.S. market. (Worldwide shipping begins in April.) Apple says it has received 100,000 pre-orders.
The first hands-on reviews are largely positive (examples here and here), but reviewers are still hung up on the $249 price tag -- either because there are cheaper options available or because you can buy a 15 GB iPod for just $50 more.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
February 19, 2004
Posted by Sandy
On February 16, Apple Computer retired $300 million of outstanding debt to become a debt-free company.
According to this site, Apple CEO Steve Jobs sent the following memo to Apple employees:
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
February 12, 2004
Posted by Sandy
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| Category: Headlines
February 10, 2004
Posted by Sandy
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| Category: Headlines
February 09, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT") and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE "DIS") today announced a multiyear agreement to cooperate on several long-term digital media initiatives to improve the quality, security and reach of digital content within the home and on Microsoft Windows XP-based PCs as well as on a growing number of home and portable entertainment devices.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
February 06, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 The latest version of Apple's Safari browser is only available for Mac OS X Panther (version 10.3). Pre-Panther versions of OS X can still use the previous version of Safari (which is up to date in terms of security), but the new features in version 1.2 are only available to Panther users.
Obviously, Apple is under no obligation to provide feature parity to users who have not upgraded to Panther -- there's no Safari for OS 9, after all, and you don't hear Jaguar users complaining about that.
If Apple is going to update Mac OS X every calendar year, what support can users expect after 12 months? Is it reasonable to expect Apple to make its software completely compatible with previous versions of Mac OS X, or just the current version?
What do you think?
Comments (5)
| Category: Headlines
February 05, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Apple and AOL have updated their instant message software systems to allow videoconferencing between Mac and Windows users.
The new "public beta" of iChat AV will be able to "see" Windows users running AIM version 5.5 for Windows.
iChat already permits .Mac users to chat with AOL users. This move adds video chat to the mix, and (from Apple's perspective) should drive sales of the iSight camera.
Comments (0)
| Category: Headlines
January 30, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Apple called its digital music player the "iPod." Why? What does "iPod" have to do with music? Wouldn't something like "iJukebox" have made more sense?
One reason: the iPod has always been much more than a digital music player. It can also be used as an external hard drive, capable of moving gigabytes of data from computer to iPod and back very quickly (via FireWire on Mac or USB 2.0 in Windows). You can even install Mac OS X on the iPod's hard drive, and boot from it using Macs other than your own.
This story describes how the Lord of the Rings production team used iPods for quick data transfers during production of the film. I knew it was possible, but I'm impressed to read about a real-world use of the iPod as an external hard drive.
Comments (1)
| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
In the wake of the breakdown of talks between Disney and Pixar, CNN/Money explores the idea of Apple acquiring Pixar... then dismisses it. "Still, as fun as it is to speculate about an Apple and Pixar merger, the odds of it actually happening are fairly remote." The article also speculates about Apple creating an iTunes-like service for movie downloads, which is, I think, equally unlikely to happen.
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| Category: Headlines
January 29, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Apple will repair some iBooks that have problems with their displays and logic boards. "We have determined that a small number of iBooks introduced in 2002 have a display problem caused by a component failure on the logic board," said Phil Schiller, head of worldwide product marketing for Apple in a statement emailed to Reuters. Apple will pay for repairs, including shipping, and will refund iBook owners who have already had repairs done. Affected systems may have scrambled or distorted video, unexpected lines on the screen, an intermittent video image, video freeze, and the computer starting up to a blank screen.
The program began on Wednesday and applies to iBooks with serial numbers in a range of UV220XXXXXX to UV318XXXXXX and that were manufactured between May 2002 and April 2003.
Full details here: iBook Logic Board Repair Extension Program.
Comments (1)
| Category: Headlines
January 28, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Jon Fortt reports in the Mercury News that Strangeberry has been acquired by TiVo.
Strangeberry has been a leading developer of Rendezvous for Java (aka JRendezvous).
"What does TiVo care about home networking? Picture a TiVo box that can grab movies from the home PC's hard drive, and show them on the big-screen television. Or a TiVo box in the bedroom that can play shows that are stored on the TiVo box in the den." Now picture a TiVo that can communicate with iTunes, iPhoto, and everything else in the iLife software bundle.
Update: As Noah notes in his comment, TiVo already uses Rendezvous.
Comments (2)
| Category: Headlines
January 27, 2004
Posted by Sandy
As the MyDoom worm was spreading by e-mail, Bill Gates took aim at rival operating systems that claim to be more secure than Windows.
"To say a system is secure because no one is attacking it is very dangerous," said Gates, referring to operating systems that have a smaller share of the desktop market, such as Apple Mac OS and Linux.
Noting the large number of major virus epidemics during the past two years, Gates said that in some ways "hackers are good for maturation" of the platform, because they have forced the company to develop new inspection techniques for the code. Is it dangerous to say that a system is secure because it's made that way? If so, I'm a public menace.
What if you imply that a system is better because virus and hacker attacks continue to reveal its many security flaws? That seems ridiculous and irresponsible to me.
Yes, it's true that some other pairs of pants may catch fire in the future. However, I can't help noticing that Gates' pants are on fire right now.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
It never fails. You buy a new computer, then a better, faster model appears that makes you regret your purchase.
That's what happened to Virginia Tech. They had a deadline to build a supercomputer, but the hardware they wanted -- the Xserve G5 -- wasn't ready.
Now that "Big Mac" has earned its place in computing history, Virginia Tech has confirmed that the new supercomputer will be torn apart and upgraded later this year.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
January 26, 2004
Posted by Sandy
The MyDoom computer worm, which first appeared Monday afternoon, spread rapidly by e-mail and infected vulnerable systems at an amazing rate.
Mac users were bombarded with infected messages, just like everyone else, but no harm was done. Even Mac users who fell for the trick and clicked on the attached file were not infected. The worm won't run on Macs.
Windows worms and viruses affect Mac users in the same way that bullets affect Superman. They're annoying, but they don't hurt.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
January 16, 2004
Posted by Sandy
"It's like Microsoft Office for the rest of your life." iLife '04 becomes available today. Apple's new $49 consumer software bundle adds a powerful music making program ( GarageBand) to iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD.
Why is iLife '04 a big deal? See this note about GarageBand.
This release also marks the move from free to fee for the so-called "iApps." Only iTunes is still available as a free download. Also note that only iTunes is available for Windows.
iLife ‘04 will be included free with all new Macs. A $20 upgrade package is available to customers who purchase a new Mac on or after January 6.
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| Category: Headlines
January 14, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Wired News confirms that the HPod will not support the Windows Media audio format: "We're not going to be supporting WMA for now," said Muffi Ghadiali, product marketing manager for HP's digital entertainment products group.
"We picked the service that was the most popular (Apple's iTunes Music Store)," said Ghadiali. "We could have chosen another format, but that would have created more confusion for our customers."
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Posted by Sandy
 Nearly lost in the news from Macworld was Apple's announcement of the new 64-bit Xserve G5. (Even fewer people noticed Xgrid, but that's another story.)
The G5 upgrade was no surprise; it's been anticipated since Apple introduced the PowerMac G5. However, as Computerworld columnist Mark Hall notes, the Xserve story is not so much about computing power or the G5 architecture. It's all about the price.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
January 12, 2004
Posted by Sandy
In his January 12 WinInfo column, Paul Thurrott suggests that HP's alliance with Apple will create a problem for customers who use other HP products (e.g. PocketPC, Media Center).
The problem? These products are built on Microsoft software that uses Windows Media files rather than AAC, the file format used by the iTunes Music Store.
...continue reading.
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
After reading this item about the HP-branded iPod, several readers pointed me to this video clip, in which Carly Fiorina holds up "the first and only" HP-branded iPod for the crowd at CES to see. It appears to be blue-grey and has the HP logo etched on the back (in place of the standard iPod logo).
The new HP Digital Music Player will be available in June.
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January 08, 2004
Posted by Sandy
Forget the mini for a moment. There's another new iPod.
HP and Apple today announced a strategic alliance that will see the creation of an HP-branded digital music player based on Apple's iPod.
"As part of the alliance, HP consumer PCs and notebooks will come preinstalled with Apple’s iTunes® jukebox software and an easy-reference desktop icon to point consumers directly to the iTunes Music Store, ensuring a simple, seamless music experience."
The HP press release says the new player will debut "this summer" and will be "priced competitively to other digital music players currently available."
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| Category: Headlines
Posted by Sandy
 I have to fly back to Toronto early Friday morning, so I'm going to spend as much time as possible today on the show floor, catching up on new products and companies I haven't seen before.
I haven't had a chance to blog about my meetings yesterday, but I should get to that later today.
One quick update about the price of the iPod mini: the just-announced Rio Nitrus has the same capacity (4 GB) and the same price tag ($249). Which one would you rather own?
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January 06, 2004
Posted by Sandy
 Highlights from Steve Jobs' Macworld keynote:
iPod
- currently #1 worldwide in both unit sales and market share
- has 31% of market share worldwide for all MP3 players
- new 1,000 song iPod mini will sell for $249
iLife '04
- new version includes updates to iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD
- new pro music tool called GarageBand will debut in iLife '04
- retail price: $49 (free with all new Macs)
iTunes Music Store
- no international stores yet - sorry Canada!
- 30 million songs sold as of December 31, 2003
- thousands of new classical selections now available
- monthly sales nearing 1.9 million target
- 500,000 songs now available
- Billboard Hot 100 music charts added (1946 to present)
other news
- new version of Final Cut Express announced
- Xserve and Xserve RAID updated to G5 processor
- surprise demo of a new version of Microsoft Office
- Office 2004 will be available in Spring 2004
More later. I have a date with the folks from CryptoCard.
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