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About this siteFor six years, the Internet Nexus served as my technology blog, but I've since started blogging at the SuperSite Blog instead. If you're looking for the blog, please head there. --Paul Saturday, September 11, 2004Bluetooth now lives up to hypeHerald Tribune: "Even nongadget folks are vaguely aware that it is better to buy an electronic device with Bluetooth than without it, and that somehow it helps eliminate a wire somewhere. In fact, global shipments of Bluetooth equipment now exceed three million units per week, and this just three months after hitting the two million units per week threshold, according to IMS Research, an electronics researcher in Britain." [ Posted at 8:28 AM | Permalink ]
Microsoft IS worried about LinuxCNN/Money: "I decided to check out Microsoft's most recent annual report filing. In it I found a segment that gave me pause: 'We believe that Microsoft's share of server units grew modestly in fiscal 2004, while Linux distributions rose slightly faster on an absolute basis. The increase in Linux distributions reflects some significant public announcements of support and adoption of open source software in both the server and desktop markets in the last year.' Folks, this is news. Microsoft is acknowledging the Linux threat. Really acknowledging it. The company first used the word 'Linux' in an annual report in 1998, citing the software twice and stating only that 'over the past year the Linux operating system has gained increasing acceptance.' In 2002 there were six mentions of Linux. Last year Linux was cited 15 times, and the threat of competitive Linux-based applications warranted a mention. While the number of Linux citations dropped to 13 this year, the 2004 annual report is notable because Microsoft put some statistical heft behind its warnings, stating that Linux servers outpaced Microsoft's for the first time in terms of growth percentage." [ Posted at 8:24 AM | Permalink ]
iTunes Affiliatesxlab: "I have to say I’m a tad underwhelmed by the iTunes Affiliate Scheme. This site got turned down for one of the following reasons :* The content is unrelated to iTunes * Your site is temporarily down or under construction. * A wrong or misspelled URL given in the application. * Your site is aesthetically unpleasing * Your site promotes tobacco, alcohol or excessive drinking/drug use * Your site contains extreme religious content * Your site is international (with a majority of visitors based OUTSIDE the US) I’m pretty sure this site fails on the last one (hopefully no-one considers this site to be 'aesthetically unpleasing' or my writing to induce 'excessive drug use'). This is a real bummer for those of us outside the US (yep, we don’t all live in America). If there’s one thing that really bugs me about Apple, it’s the blinkers they have when it comes to the rest of the world. It took us long enough to get the iTunes Music Store here in Europe. Anyway, despite the whole non-US thing, the scheme appears to be run by a third party organisation called the LinkShare network. Immediately this is a disappointment as I was expecting the scheme to run within the Apple website (possibly using your Apple ID or .Mac account). I wouldn’t think it’d be too difficult to get some web development people on the case at Apple. After all, Amazon and Google manage to offer nicely integrated affiliate schemes. Once an account has been created (after negotiating a horrendous form on the Apple website), you are sent a barrage of confusing e-mails eventually directing you to the LinkShare website. The e-mails encourage you to join up to Apple iTunes via LinkShare and create your links using their system ... I’m left feeling disappointed by the whole process. The current LinkShare-powered system only serves to discourage site owners from becoming affiliates — a situation obviously at odds with Apple’s intentions." You know, I'd gotten a few emails from people wondering why I'd never mentioned the iTunes Affiliates program, and mostly it was because when I looked into it, I found it to be underwhelming. Now that it's obviously it wasn't just me, it's equally obvious that the people pushing this system to me previously had never even tried it themselves. [ Posted at 7:41 AM | Permalink ]
Gates: Microsoft To Pounce On Mobile Phone Media--Before Apple CanForbes: "Microsoft is hot and bothered to get its audio and video software into mobile phones--before it is beaten to the punch by music download king Apple Computer. 'We've been hush-hush about it, so far. But we understand this is a major market opportunity,' confessed Erik Huggers, director of Microsoft's Windows Digital Media division. Speaking to Reuters, the executive at Bill Gates' software colossus said, 'The sales numbers [of mobile phones] are staggering. It's obvious that it's our goal to sign up all major handset makers,' Huggers said. Motorolaand Japan's NEC boast Microsoft media decoders integrated into their handsets for third-generation mobile networks. However, observers say the so-called 3G market is still diminutive. Thus, Microsoft is scanning the entire handset market, specifically honing in on Finland's global leader Nokia, Deutschland conglomerate Siemens and that Japanese-Scandinavian hybrid, Sony Ericsson." [ Posted at 7:37 AM | Permalink ]
HP’s iPod bounces out ahead of scheduleEngadget: "If you're actually looking to buy one (no judgement or anything), HP’s iPod has turned up in at least a few stores several days ahead of its scheduled release date of September 15th. The list price is the same as the regular Apple iPod (i.e. $299 for the 20GB and $399 for the 40GB version), but there are scattered reports of people finding them online for way cheaper than that. Or at least way cheaper when [you] consider that Apple keeps a really tight grip on how aggressively retailers can price the regular iPod."Well, I guess there's at least one thing HP does better than Apple: It can ship products early, rather than morbidly late. [ Posted at 7:35 AM | Permalink ]
TiVo chimes in on Macrovision dealTiVo Community Forum: "Yes, we did reach a new deal with Macrovision. No, it's not as bad as you might initially think. We've had a Macrovision license since day one, and every one of our products have always supported it. So that's not new. Macrovision's revised license does include the copy protection options outlined in the article, and we will need to support those going forward as part of the license. However, Macrovision protected content is typically only Pay-Per-View and Video-On-Demand -- not regular broadcast or subscription cable/satellite programming (such as HBO, ESPN, CNN, NBC, etc.). That content can be time-shifted without restrictions. And practically speaking, it's use for PPV to date has been virtually non-existent. To my knowledge this is also not exclusive to TiVo, or to DVR's. Any recording device - VCR's, DVD Recorders, etc - with a Macrovision license will have to conform to their new requirements. If it were to creep into standard broadcast television someday, it wouldn't just be your DVR that had problems. Hope that helps explain things."Thanks Kyle! [ Posted at 7:32 AM | Permalink ]
Friday, September 10, 2004Lucas revisits his 'Star Wars' empire for box set USA Today: "Hayden Christensen was 2 years old when George Lucas released his third Star Wars film, Return of the Jedi, in 1983. Now the actor who would be Darth Vader gets a magical cameo in the DVD version. That's the biggest of several changes found in the movies that make up the Stars Wars Trilogy, available only in a four-disc box set that arrives on DVD Sept. 21 ... an early look at the DVDs reveals Lucas continues to exercise creative power over his Star Wars empire, and in his mind, the original versions are no more. The latest changes in the films — the most requested DVDs since the launch of the format seven years ago — are minor and mostly cosmetic:
Episode IV: A New Hope. Only subtle changes here. The cantina shootout between Han Solo and the green-snouted bounty hunter Greedo is virtually identical, but now it seems their guns fire almost simultaneously. Lucas had changed the original for the 1997 rerelease because it seemed that Han had fired first. Also, Jabba the Hutt has gotten a makeover and looks more realistic in his scene with Han than when it was added in 1997. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. In another change for continuity's sake, the Emperor, whose face is seen in a hologram broadcast, goes uncredited, but he sounds and looks like Ian McDiarmid, who played the Emperor in Return of the Jedi and Senator Palpatine in Episodes I and II. (Clive Revill is listed as the Emperor in the Empire credits.) Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Christensen, who plays Anakin Skywalker in Episode II: Attack of the Clones and in the upcoming Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, now appears at the end of Jedi as Anakin's spirit. He replaces Sebastian Shaw, whose face you still see when Luke Skywalker removes the iconic black Darth Vader mask. (In all three films, David Prowse wore the Vader suit, and James Earl Jones provided the voice.) The trilogy's major transformation comes from the restoration project that brings the look of the films into the 21st century. Using transfers made from the original films' negatives, the Burbank, Calif., digital restoration house Lowry Digital Images cleaned up the movies so they look fresh." [ Posted at 5:21 PM | Permalink ]
'Doom' creator faces a crossroads: John Carmack weighs his future as a video game superstarCNN/Money: "The video game industry's premier coding maestro (and the mind behind some of its most visually spectacular games, including the recently released "Doom 3") became a father for the first time last month. Typically, that means a lot of sleepless nights. Carmack, though, can't function like that. 'I've never been one of those programmers that works effectively on short amounts of sleep,' he said. 'I've always needed eight hours.' With son Christopher only sleeping a few hours at a time, Carmack's wife Anna gave the id Software co-founder permission to call the upstairs guest room home for a bit ... Lately, though, he's found his interest in rocket ships surpassing his interest in coding video games. He's definitely on board for one more title, but Carmack's future as a video game programmer is growing increasingly hazy. 'I wouldn't hazard to look too far ahead,' he said. 'I'm definitely going to see through this round of rendering work. I wouldn't make any promises beyond that.' Should he decide to move on from building game engines, it would undoubtedly bring about cries of anguish from the gaming world. His groundbreaking work on such seminal titles as Doom and Quake has elevated Carmack to celebrity status amongst gamers - and a position of respect amongst peers." [ Posted at 5:16 PM | Permalink ]
Duke4 NOT Using DOOM3 TechShackNews: "Having sat through the torture of a Take2 investor meeting audio file earlier today one of the more interesting things that came up was a Take2 employee having a few things to say about Duke Nukem Forever in development over at 3DRealms. There was this one zinger by Rich Roedel, the CEO of Take2: '...they are using the DOOM3 technology now which is finished.' This was a simple mistake by Rich that just snowballed a little... So since it seems that this was picked up elsewhere as factual we've got an official statement from 3DRealms to clear things up. Here ya go: 'I guess I need to clear up some confusion. We are not using the Doom 3 engine for Duke Nukem Forever. That said, I'd also like to take a moment to point out something about the gaming press. Very few people ever even try to contact you for fact checking, like Gamespot did. When they ran the story about the engine change, they ended it with 'Attempts to contact 3D Realms for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.' The news story was posted 35 minutes after I received an e-mail from them requesting confirmation. Gamespot, I apologize. Your e-mail came in at 10:04pm and I was working elsewhere in the building. I will try to be more accessible to you in the future." There you go."There you go? Not really. They're still working on Duke Nukem Forever? Seriously? [ Posted at 5:10 PM | Permalink ]
TiVo, ReplayTV agree to limitsSiliconValley.com: "The makers of TiVo and ReplayTV digital video recorders have agreed to limit how long consumers can keep pay-for-view movies stored on future versions of the VCR-like devices. The new technology also will allow Hollywood movie studios and broadcasters to regulate how often movies purchased through pay-for-view services can be watched. Digital video recorders that recognize these new copy restrictions will begin appearing in the spring of 2005. But it could be years before entertainment companies begin to take advantage of the technology, according to ReplayTV President Bernie Sepaniak ... television screen will display warnings that a pay-per-view movie a viewer is about to rent comes with certain restrictions. The limitations are the trade-off for advanced services, such as video-on-demand, he said ... The copy protection technology also will begin appearing next year on other consumer electronics products capable of recording television shows and movies, such as personal computer 'media centers' (i.e. Windows XP Media Center Edition-based PCs --Paul)."It's a bit sad to me that, as personal video recording (PVR) technology finally takes off, consumers won't ever know how cool it once was. I was an early TiVo customer, though I returned the box because of lousy picture quality, and my family has been using a Media Center PC for TV and PVR since the first usable beta in mid-2002 (indeed, my kids don't even understand the concept of live TV or, thankfully, what commercials are all about). But the PVR functionality on a Media Center PC (or TiVo, or whatever) is clearly being limited over time as more and more people sign up. That's too bad: Instead of making it worse in order to support aging payment methods, TV studios should be concentrating on new ways to make money. For example, I'd rather see unlimited pay-per-view of every show ever made than be able to record and store TV shows forever, and I suspect many others would as well (how many times can you watch the pilot episode of your favorite TV show, hoenestly?). Perhaps --- ahem --- a subscription offering is needed. Anyway, in the same manner that iTunes and its ilk will kill the dated album format for good, I suspect that PVR will kill the way we watch TV today (i.e. having to be in front of the boob tube at a certain time and having to sit through commercials). It's only a matter of time. [ Posted at 4:59 PM | Permalink ]
The New G5 iMac: A Reality CheckApplelust.com: "I'm not sure that the new iMac is perfect, and in some ways it is as compromised as the original Bondi Blue iMac. It comes with very little memory. The hard drives are small. The wireless keyboard and mouse aren't standard. Airport isn't built in. The video card is middling in performance. The base models lacks a DVD writer. The bottom line is that to really shine, the new G5 iMac needs a lot of upgrades, and all this [adds] up ... Max out the RAM to 2 GB and double the hard disk capacity to 250 GB, add the Airport card and the wireless mouse and keyboard, and the Apple Store price is a whopping $3302 ... Even the base model is considerably above the sub $1000 price point that characterised the original iMac line. Over the years, the iMacs have evolved from low-cost, low-spec, home user machines into mid-priced machines pitched at affluent home users and business wanting something balanced between power and price."I guess the odd euphoria that follows any Apple product launch has finally worn off. Frankly,the new iMac cuts corners in exactly the same places as a Dell or other PC. What makes the new iMac less interesting is the derivative design. A better solution would have been to separate the screen from the CPU, per the previous version. This is one thing the HP Athens PC concept got right, despite wrong-headed claims that it was too Apple-like. [ Posted at 1:12 PM | Permalink ]
Your Target Audience Isn’t Who You Think It Isjr conlin: "There’s a group out there in the world that is (finally) of great interest to the business and marketing folks. They’re called 'Early Adopters' or 'Influencers' or any of a number of names that marketing drones and high priced consultants are willing to pull from shadier portions of their anatomy. I call 'em geeks. You know, nerds, computer literates, the folks that spend hours gazing at 70+ Hertz monitors and communicate best via keyboard. The theory being that these are the folks that 'influence' others. They’re the ones that generally try out new tech, improve it, and then become increasingly religious about it so that it finally drills through the denser matter of their surroundings and other folks start picking up on it. These are the folks that discovered the Internet, email, web, instant messaging (IRC to you old-timers) and id Software when all they had to offer was Castle Wolfenstien ... Thing is, influencers are SIGNIFICANTLY different than the normal audience. Much like college professors, the best they can ever hope for is that the folks they tend to talk to pick up a tiny fraction of what they offer. Usually stuff that takes the least amount of effort to pick up ... Influencers use weird crap. They use Macs and Linux, Mozilla, and other eminently hackable systems. They don’t generally run Windows and IE. Note that this is in stark contrast to the greater unwashed who do use that stuff." [ Posted at 9:41 AM | Permalink ]
Firefox 1.0 Preview Release next weekThe Burning Edge: "Ben Goodger [writes] 'We're heading into a 1.0Preview Release early-mid next week. We don't have Release Candidates ready yet (maybe by Friday), but do take a look at the latest nightlies if you want to help test.'Firefox 1.0 PR blockers Bugs nominated to block Firefox 1.0 PR What's new in Firefox 1.0 Preview Release Draft Release Notes" [ Posted at 9:36 AM | Permalink ]
Windows Media Player 10 includes competing music storesSeattle PI: "Tucked into one corner of Microsoft Corp.'s latest digital-media program is a case study in the balancing act often required when the company decides to expand into new markets. Microsoft's Windows Media Player 10, released last week, includes a new feature that the company calls the 'Digital Media Mall.' Accessed via a drop-down menu in the upper-right portion of the player, the mall lets users access Microsoft's MSN Music store, a preliminary version of which was unveiled last week. It's similar to Apple Computer's iTunes software, which provides access to the iTunes Music Store from within the iTunes music player. But unlike the iTunes software, the Microsoft player's mall also connects to other music stores -- such as Napster, WalMart.com, MusicNow and others -- that are competing for market share against the MSN Music store ... the inclusion of the competing stores also works to the advantage of Windows Media Player users. In addition to giving access to a larger number of songs, it lets users download tracks from a variety of different stores and collect them in unified playlists that can be burned to CDs or transferred to a portable player ... Many more music services are expected to be added to the media player as time goes on ... Microsoft points out that services in the mall are not required to use the Windows Media format. In theory, at least, that means RealNetworks or Apple could put their services into the media mall by signing a Windows Media licensing agreement and building a plug-in to allow the Windows Media Player to play back files in their format." [ Posted at 9:04 AM | Permalink ]
Thursday, September 09, 2004Apple, Microsoft the most innovative companies; Gates beats out JobsBusiness Week is celebrating its 75th anniversary by choosing the most innovative companines and people during that time period. Apple and Microsoft were virtually tied for first place with 35 and 32 percent of the vote, respectively, while Microsoft chairman (and one-time CEO) Bill Gates edged out Apple CEO Steve Jobs as the most innovative CEO. The top two greatest technological innovations were the personal computer and Internet. Curiously, Bill Gates was also in the top four among business leaders for whom the magazine would vote for as president; Jobs didn't make the cut. [ Posted at 10:09 PM | Permalink ]
Gates Tries For A Hollywood EndingBusiness Week: "In July, Microsoft hired Blair Westlake, former chairman of Universal Television & Networks Group, to run a newly created unit to lobby Hollywood. Their goal? Persuade the studios to wrap their movies in Microsoft's software, which the company is offering for free. That way, Microsoft can turn around and sell the software that plays these digital versions of movies to computer makers, consumer-electronics companies, and online video services ... The new approach is helping Microsoft make headway. It won nonexclusive software licensing deals with Time Warner and Walt Disney Co. (DIS ) Time Warner is considering making its content available to PCs and portable devices that use Microsoft's Media Center software. Disney is looking at using Microsoft's software to deliver movies and TV shows over the Net. Microsoft has also won approval to include its encoding software in the next-generation HD DVDs, including the new Blu-ray format backed by Sony." [ Posted at 10:06 PM | Permalink ]
iPods for the EyesForbes: "Apple's Steve Jobs has kissed off portable video players as being 'twice as heavy as an iPod and twice the size of an iPod … and twice as expensive as an iPod.' What he neglects to mention is that they can do more than twice as much as an iPod."He also forgets to mention that a Portable Media Center is the same price as a high-end iPod was just a few months ago. But hey, whatever. "Batteries last more than four and a half hours with video, twelve if you turn off the screen while you listen to tunes ... The player's strongest suits are an extremely simple user interface and easy synchronization with content on Media Center PCs--the ones that can record and play TV. It's the first portable device to offer Microsoft's new digital rights management scheme." [ Posted at 9:44 PM | Permalink ]
The Star [Wars] TreatmentTime: "On Sept. 21, Lucasfilm Ltd. will release the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD — unquestionably the most eagerly anticipated debut in the dominant home-movie format. (Last weekend, more than two weeks before it could be shipped, the box set was No. 1 in Amazon.com DVD sales.) The films — Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — will look sharper than ever. They will be adorned with many beguiling extras, such as an interactive video game, Battlefront, the making-of documentary and a peek at next year's completion of the saga, Revenge of the Sith — which, whatever you've heard, will be the series' final chapter ... The DVDs have even newer shots [than 1997's Special Edition versions] that tie elements of Lucas' first trilogy and his more recent one — you may be able to spot a cameo by a current star who was in diapers when Jedi was made — to make the grand story line flow more coherently. LAY, LADY LEIA: Fisher, left, and her stunt double take a sand-dune sunbath aboard a space vehicle during a break on the Yuma, Ariz., location for Return of the Jedi in 1982." Oh my. [ Posted at 7:24 PM | Permalink ]
Microsoft targets iTunes' lead with Media Player 10Forbes: "Microsoft will challenge Apple's lead in the digital music sector with the release of Windows Media Player 10. Targeted at the growing portable device market, WMP 10 makes it possible to transfer music to over 70 devices, including MP3 players from Samsung, Dell and Creative ... [WMP 10] also supports Digital Right Management 10, which was released in May. This allows music and other media to be transferred to devices, including mobile phones and PDAs ... The relatively open nature of the player stands in stark contrast to Apple's proprietary iTunes and iPod."Yep. It sure does. What's the phrase about those who refuse to learn the mistakes of the past again? [ Posted at 5:16 PM | Permalink ]
Real says digital song sale doubled market shareUSA Today: "The maker of the popular RealPlayer music/video software says it sold 3 million songs during the three-week sale. It says its market share rose to 20% from 10%, taking a bite out of Apple's 70% share, which Real says dropped to 60%. Apple disputed that, saying that it did not see any drop in market share during the past three weeks and that its sales grew each week. Real gained customers, but it will lose $2 million from the promotion, says market tracker Forrester Research. Now, Real says, it will offer a weekly top-10 singles selection for 49 cents. Current artists include the Beastie Boys, Maroon 5 and Ray Charles. Regular-priced songs are 99 cents. 'This is no different from how physical music stores work,' says Real CEO Rob Glaser. They 'offer loss leaders to get people in ... This was the biggest promotion we've ever had. Sales went up six- or sevenfold.' Real's wholesale costs are about 75 cents a song."If Real sold 3 million songs, and lost 25 cents a song, it only "lost" $750,000 during the sale, not $2 million. And that might not be a bad figure, if the company gained a large number of new customers. It would be interesting to compare this figure to how much Apple or Napster has spent per customer. You know, if that were actually possible. [ Posted at 5:11 PM | Permalink ]
New iMac G5 Doubles as Breakfast Tray BBSpot: "As well as being moderately useful for desktop publishing and digital music 'sharing,' the G5 makes an excellent breakfast tray. With the option of a wireless keyboard and mouse, there is only the power cord to unplug when getting ready to serve the morning latte. Residents in arid areas can use the computer as roofing material, and as a cheap alternative to aluminum siding. This marks Apple's first foray into construction. Rival Microsoft has long had a lead in this market, cemented by the sale of MS BOB as a cheap and durable insulation material ... George Duval of the MacAttac online forum praised the innovative cooling system and the sleek design: 'I can barely hear it, and if you turn it sideways you can't see it. It's the next best thing to not having a computer at all' ... The new processor and an impressive 256MB of RAM make plain text editing a breeze. The G5 comes preloaded with all three games that work on OS X."
LOL. Good stuff. Thanks Keith. [ Posted at 11:41 AM | Permalink ]
What the Linspire Settlement RevealsOrange Crate: "If you read the confidential Settlement Agreement between Linspire (the company formerly known as Lindows), and Microsoft, you will notice some very peculiar facts. The most startling aspect of the $20 Million settlement agreement between the two companies does not have anything to do with the trademark violations, but rather with copyrighted media files. Apparently, Lindows (as the Linspire distribution had been known) was distributing a version of Linux that contained several Windows Media files. Specifically, the settlement names the Dynamic Link Library (dll) files that were being used within media products within that distrtibution: wma9dmod.dll, wmadmod.dll, wmspdmod.dll, wmv9dmod.dll and wmvdmod.dll. These files are said top be copyrightred by Microsoft, and they appear to be central to claims of patent infringement or of the possibility of same being claimed by Microsoft." [ Posted at 8:33 AM | Permalink ]
RealNetworks Announces Record 3 Million Songs Sold in Three-Week Music SaleReal: "RealNetworks announced today that music fans purchased more than 3 million songs during the three-week promotion celebrating the company’s new Harmony Technology, and said it would continue to offer some of the most popular downloadable tunes for just 49 cents per song. 'Music fans who want choice are turning to Real,' said Rob Glaser, CEO and founder of RealNetworks. 'We are the only place consumers can buy music and enjoy it on any popular portable device, we offer the best price on the Top Ten, and we provide the most compelling subscription music service, Rhapsody' ... [There are] more than 640,000 songs available through the RealPlayer Music Store ... Music purchased from the RealPlayer Music Store is the only DRM-protected digital music available that can be played on all popular portable devices, including all Windows Media DRM-enabled devices, all Apple iPods and all Helix DRM-enabled mobile devices." [ Posted at 8:31 AM | Permalink ]
RealNetworks Promotion Garners Sales of Over Three Million SongsWall Street Journal: "RealNetworks Inc. plans to announce today that it sold over three million songs online as part of a cut-rate promotion that is now ending. The Seattle-based company, targeting market leader Apple Computer Inc., charged 49 cents a song and $4.99 an album for music sold tunes via its RealPlayer Music Store over a period of about three weeks. That compares with a standard price of 99 cents a song and $9.99 an album for Apple's iTunes Music Store and most other sites. 'It was a very economical and efficient way to introduce consumers to our service,' said Rob Glaser, chief executive officer of RealNetworks. The company estimates that it gained market share against Apple as a result of the music sale. An Apple spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment. Mr. Glaser said the company lost about 25 cents for each song it sold to people who don't already pay for a separate subscription offering."Wait a second. They reduced the price 50 cents and only lost 25 cents per song? That means Real actually makes a whopping 25 cents per song at the normal price. Since Apple breaks even on its music service, that suggests Real is capable of not just making a lot of money from its a la carte service, but that it can make a lot more money than Apple, even if it sells far fewer songs. I guess that kills the "you can't make money on online music sales" argument, which, naturally, was based solely on Apple's inability to do anything efficiently. This further suggests that other clueless assumptions about Napster and other music stores are equally bogus. Interesting. Oh, and the sale is effectively over... "Starting today, [Real] plans to offer only the top 10 most popular songs on its site and in industry rankings for 49 cents each. The rest of the more than 625,000 songs in its store will revert to their 99-cent price tag, with most albums going for $9.99." [ Posted at 8:10 AM | Permalink ]
Wednesday, September 08, 2004'Star Wars' emerges from darknessUSA Today: "John Lowry is the unseen force behind the sparkling new DVD versions of George Lucas' Star Wars films, which arrive Sept. 21 in a four-disc $70 box set. Over the past four years, Lowry Digital Images has emerged as the pre-eminent destination for studios looking to prepare their classics for DVD. Having cleaned up the Indiana Jones films for last year's DVD package to the satisfaction of Lucas, director Steven Spielberg and studio Paramount, the Burbank-based firm earned the chance this year to do the same for the Star Wars trilogy. Even though the original film elements of the three movies have spent most of their time resting in vaults, they had gathered wear and tear that would have been noticeable had they been transferred, as is, straight to DVD ... Restoration took about a month per film. As footage became ready, segments were downloaded onto a portable hard drive and shipped to Lucas for approval. The result is as if a veil has been lifted: The annoying hail of visible noise is gone, and colors are richer. The footage seems to shine, as if brand-new. 'We have given it the kind of sharpness which doesn't create ugly edges,' Lowry says. Beyond a stellar DVD, Lucasfilm now has a high-definition master stored in its vaults that won't degrade as celluloid does. The master can be used to make new film prints and high-definition DVDs."
Creative to take a bigger bite of AppleThe Straits Times: "Creative Technology chairman Sim Wong Hoo is going all out to make sure it is Creative's MP3 players you have in your hands. Demand is here and it is growing, he told The Straits Times yesterday. Nearly 6,200 digital audio players were sold at the company's warehouse sale in Jurong last weekend. More than 2,400 were sold in one day. 'That's about 4.3 units sold a minute,' Mr Sim said ... he said that its latest player, the MuVo2 FM 5GB took the top two positions - the white and blue models - on the Amazon website in Japan, with the mini iPod in third place ... Figures from technology research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) show Apple still in the lead globally for MP3 players using hard disks, like the iPod. It had a 54 percent share last year, compared with Creative, which is No. 2 with 16.5 percent ... Mr Sim says he is confident he can conquer the digital entertainment market. 'My goal is to dominate the market. I'm targeting more than 50 percent of it,' he said. 'We want to out-invest everybody and build for the mass market, which Apple cannot.' To do that, he is boosting product lines to more than 50 from the present eight, building players with higher capacity, more colours and maybe even letting people customise their purchases, he said." [ Posted at 7:55 PM | Permalink ]
Atari Flashback Classic Game Console Atari: "The 1980s video game craze is back with an all-new game console and 20 classic Atari favorites – in one package! Just plug into your TV and play the vintage games that started a revolution! Everything you need is right here: Retro-style Game Console. Two Atari 7800™-inspired Joysticks. 20 classic Atari [2600 and 7800] games — built right in! Bounce off the walls in Breakout. Blast through the chaos of Centipede. Hit hyperspace at just the right time in Asteroids. Relive them all, and discover a new classic. Saboteur, a vintage Atari game that’s never been released! With no need for extra systems or software, this console is just perfect for the 80s generation… and their kids!"
OK, so this is cool. But is there some reason this thing couldn't have been identical to either a 2600 or a 7800? [ Posted at 10:19 AM | Permalink ]
MyTunes returns for iTunes song sharingZDNet: "Tools that turn Apple Computers' iTunes software into the core of a song-sharing network are multiplying, with the re-release this week of the previously defunct MyTunes. Like OurTunes and a handful of other software programs, 'MyTunes Redux' enables computer users to download songs freely from the hard drives of other iTunes users, as long as the two machines are on the same local network. The software takes advantage of iTunes' ability to stream songs between computers. That feature is aimed at people who want to listen on one PC to songs stored on another computer inside a home network, among other uses, but Apple does not ordinarily allow the files to be downloaded permanently." [ Posted at 8:48 AM | Permalink ]
Apple fixes 15 flaws in Mac OS XZDNet: "Apple Computer released an update to its Mac OS X operating system on Tuesday to fix 15 security issues in the software, some of which are considered 'critical.' Many of the problems are flaws in the operating system's underlying open-source software, including a critical flaw in the Kerberos authentication system--software that can act as a gatekeeper for computer networks. The patch is available for Mac OS X 10.3.5 and Mac OS X 10.3.4, and also fixes issues in Mac OS X 10.2, known as Jaguar. 'All security enhancements...are also available for Jaguar, if the issue could occur on Jaguar systems,' a security advisory from the company said."Details here. And kudos to Apple for addressing these issues in the previous version of Mac OS X as well; prior fixes applied only to Panther originally, which is sort of problematic. [ Posted at 8:44 AM | Permalink ]
Tuesday, September 07, 2004The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: First Impressions of the G5 iMacCMUG: "I find the design uninspiring. Yes, I know that Apple is known for its often-stunning designs (the G4 cube, the sunflower G4 iMac, and the iPod come to mind). But the new G5 iMac seems, well ... boring. After all, it's basically just a screen (which is difficult to make exciting), a keyboard, and a mouse (which are even more difficult to make exciting). Some have said that the system even looks like the eMac from the front. It sort of does actually, but the iMac is naturally much thinner than the chunky CRT-based e-Mac and, since the iMac sports a G5, it is really in another league ... It's not that the new iMac is ugly. In fact, it's a clean, functional design. But it just doesn't capture my attention too much ... A laptop is more versatile for a college student. I wouldn't want to lug an 18 or 25 pound G5 iMac to class. Still, $1,299 does not seem all that much for a G5 with a nice screen." [ Posted at 6:20 PM | Permalink ]
Microsoft Steps Into The RingWashington Post: "Both Apple and Windows base their online businesses on a pay-per-download model: Songs cost 99 cents each; most albums are $9.99. This year, the online sector should account for about 2 percent of all music sales, with estimates of total revenue running from $270 million to $500 million, according to industry figures. Some analysts, however, believe the real money to be made will come from subscription services, which now lag behind the download stores in total sales. The reason has to do with the way people buy and use music ... The subscription model resembles how people watch cable TV. Services such as Napster, which charges $9.95 a month, give users the right to listen to the entire length of all the songs in the service's library an unlimited number of times [They also let you move the songs to portable devices, another feature iTunes lacks. --Paul] ... A July report from Jupiter Research predicts that download services will account for $158 million in revenue this year, with subscription services taking in $113 million. According to the company's forecasts, both numbers will continue to grow in coming years, eventually will converge and will switch places by 2008, when subscription services will book an estimated $741 million in revenue, passing the $713 million in sales that download services will make .... if all the iPods sold are divided into all the songs sold on iTunes, the total comes to an average of 34 songs per iPod, or about $34 spent on digital music. In other words, the numbers indicate that the average iPod owner is a sampler, rather than a heavy spender ... The profit margin per user is higher for subscription services than download services, and about 65 percent of Napster's revenue comes from subscribers, the company's financial reports say. In contrast, Apple's iTunes is not expected to be profitable; it is primarily a marketing tool to propel sales of iPods, which run as high as $399."Subscription will definitely beat out a-la-carte downloads over time. The question is whether Apple moves to this model and, if so, how they position themselves when they do. [ Posted at 1:29 PM | Permalink ]
Valve prepares Half-Life 2 release candidate for next weekGI.biz: "Developer Valve is to send a release candidate for the eagerly awaited Half-Life 2 to publisher Vivendi Universal Games later this month - but new reports suggest that the game may not launch until November. 'We're currently planning to send release candidates to Vivendi by September 15th,' according to Valve's marketing boss Doug Lombardi. 'However, VUG hasn't given us a ship date yet.' His comments came following a report from Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, which pinned down Half-Life 2 as a November release in a comment on the potential success of three key PC titles this year. Speculation over a November launch will surprise many gamers, as anticipation for Half-Life 2 was raised to fever pitch last week when Valve began pre-loading content for the game onto the Steam distribution network. Some 2Gb of data has already been loaded onto PCs, which was taken by some as evidence that the game would ship within the next few weeks. However, if Valve is sending a release candidate to Vivendi next week, the November timescale seems to make more sense, as presumably that candidate will then be passed through a QA procedure and revisions will have to be made before the game actually goes gold. A November launch would see the game coming out in time for the Thanksgiving holiday in the USA, and right in the middle of the key pre-Christmas shopping period in Europe - adding another huge title to the already intimidating roster of games competing for sales in the third quarter of the year."Hey, it's only a year late, or 14 months if you're picky. This makes even Apple look good by comparison. Indeed, and I realize this is horribly off topic, I finally started seeing iPod Minis in stock at the local CompUSA this past weekend, only 9 months after they were announced and 8 months after they were going to be "available" in the US. OK, back to Half-Life 2. I need a new game. And I need it earlier rather than later. [ Posted at 11:39 AM | Permalink ]
Apple launches new iMac - customers display mixed feelingsCool Tech Zone: "Many Apple users are having mixed feelings about the new [iMac] models. [The] majority of those reports discuss the high prices with limited functionality."Uh. Let's be fair here. I'm not all that excited about the new iMacs, but the price is right: Unlike the overly-expensive 2G iMac, the 3G iMac compares favorably with similarly-equipped PCs, assuming you're just talking money and not after-purchase effectiveness (i.e. PCs have a much wider and more easily accessible software selection). Price to price, the new iMac compares very well to the best Dell has to offer. I've checked it, and if you don't believe it, you should look it up too. "Due to its compact design with limited space, many users are having concerns that relate to memory upgrades, hard drive size, and Apple's Airport Extreme wireless standard." I have no idea what this means either. The new iMac is fully user servicable, making it easy to add RAM and AirPort Express wireless features (I added both RAM and Airport Express to my 2G iMac as well, for whatever that's worth). However, like the 2G iMac, the base hard drive sizes this time around not reasonable. An 80 GB hard drive is a joke, but you can upgrade to 250 GB when you order online, and they are SATA drives, which is interesting. "Many users feel that 256MB system memory is not enough for their regular computing tasks." And it's not. Apple should have made 512 MB the base amount of RAM. "However, there is one thing that everyone adores about the new iMac regardless the upgradibility and price factors - its extravagent looks." Again, I disagree. The new iMac is unexciting from a design perspective, and resembles what everyone said the 2G iMac would look like before it shipped. Apple surprised us with what it came up with then. This time around, it's uninspiring. Ah well. [ Posted at 9:20 AM | Permalink ]
The Song Remains the SameForbes: "The iPod is a raging success--but not the rest of Apple. By some estimates Apple, now at $11.9 billion in market value, would be worth $15.1 billion broken up, jettisoning the Macintosh business (see chart). In a Microsoft-dominated world, Mac's share is down to a scant 2%, and the business is valued at less than one-half times sales, one-fourth the level at Dell. Then again, Apple stock has doubled in two years and trades at 37 times projected earnings (versus 25 at Dell). That owes mostly to the iPod. In the past year iPod sales have more than doubled to $890 million, 12% of total sales and roughly 30% of Apple's $247 million in earnings before taxes, interest and nonrecurring items. (Song sales at iTunes are near $90 million a year.) But the bet on iPod is a risky one ... Already Apple's margins on the music players are shrinking. The iPod's operating margins peaked at 13% in December and, since then, have fallen a jolting five points. (These are estimates. Apple doesn't break out profits by product line.) The gadget's price is down so much this year that Apple will have to sell 20% more iPods next year to maintain profits; no problem, as analysts expect a 70% rise. Falling prices are fine if Apple, like Dell, were getting more efficient. But it isn't, and it never really has been. In 2000, when overall sales were 4% higher than now, Apple's operating margin was 9%. Today it is a mere 3%. Head count is up 32% from 2000, and sales per employee are down from $930,000 to $674,000. The iPod was supposed to create a halo effect, drawing lots of new customers to Apple's stagnant desktop and notebook lines, which still account for 64% of sales. But, with the exception of a nice 14% sales increase in Macs and iBooks in the June quarter, Apple's core Mac line has remained flat ... Hmmm. Falling prices, a penchant for proprietary design and a raft of new products from big rivals, with most of them running Microsoft software. Somehow, it all sounds awfully familiar."
Can Apple Play Europe's Tune?Forbes: "With roughly 120 million songs downloaded since its debut in April 2003, Apple's iTunes has clearly caught the ear of American consumers. But will that translate into success on the other side of the Atlantic? The first signs are positive. Apple Computer Chief Executive Steve Jobs launched versions of the online music service in the U.K, France and Germany at the beginning of the summer. The services have taken off quickly, selling more than 5 million songs in the first ten weeks.. It has left a European-based service that had a head start singing harmony and major music labels are listening to its appeals. But the fat lady hasn't sung yet: iTunes still faces a series of specifically European challenges, including a fractured music rights landscape and the difficulty of assembling music catalogues for each of the countries in which it wants to operate. And then of course there is the potential for a European launch of Microsoft's music store, which debuted in the U.S. on Sept. 1." [ Posted at 9:08 AM | Permalink ]
Monday, September 06, 2004[iMac] G5 lacks that G-whizz factorThe Post.IE: "Pop quiz: which of the following does Apple's `stunning' new iMac look like?(a) A Tesco checkout terminal. (b) Hasbro's My First Computer for the under-fives. (c) A 1983 Texas Instruments prototype. (d) All of the above. Most people's reaction when they see the new iMac G5 will be: 'Huh? A monitor with a built-in computer?' They could be forgiven their lukewarm emotion ... So what's the deal with the [iMac] G5? Because it certainly ain't hip. Apple's celebrity designer, Jonathan [Ive], is putting out the line that it's supposed to look like an iPod. Aside from the fact that it doesn't, why would anyone want to use a computer that looks like an iPod? Why not make it look like a grand piano? Or the state of Texas?" You know, screwing with Ive is about as dangerous as screwing with Jobs: The guy is so revered in the Mac community that few will admit he's capable of a bomb. But the iMac G5 is such a bomb: Derivative and uninspiring. It's too bad, because the previous gen iMac was so beautiful, I spent a way-too-expensive $2200 on one in March 2003. But I won't be buying this version, and someone needs to call the pretentious Ive to task for his pompous and conceited baloney about the iMac G5 design. There, I've said it. And I feel better now. [ Posted at 8:42 AM | Permalink ]
Report: Apple offered Sony iTunes dealIDG News: "Apple CEO Steve Jobs offered Nobuyuki Idei, chairman and group CEO of Sony, the chance for Sony to come aboard Apple's iTunes Music Store service, the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun newspaper reported in its Sept. 2 edition. The offer would have allowed for joint operation of the service, the newspaper said ... Jobs is reported to have wanted to bring the Sony brand into the service to maintain a competitive advantage over Microsoft Corp., which launched a beta version of its MSN Music store earlier this week." [ Posted at 8:39 AM | Permalink ]
Sunday, September 05, 2004Firefox Dust 2cheeaunblog: "cheeaunblogLast month, I wrote about some dusts I found in Firefox. I supposed it's a good read for most Firefox users. However, it is only the scratch of the surface. You might see this as a form of criticism, but what I'm writing here is actually to help improving the Firefox UI before reaching 1.0. The dusting begins..." [ Posted at 9:34 AM | Permalink ]
Review of Mozilla's Sunbird Stand-Alone Calendar ApplicationOSDir.com: "Sunbird is the new cross-platform calendar application from the Mozilla foundation. It is based around the existing Mozilla Calendar component and is the latest in a string of standalone applications from the foundation, which are gradually replacing the current Mozilla suite of applications. The aim of the project is to create a standalone calendar for someone who uses either Mozilla Thunderbird or Firefox as their email client or browser. Sunbird hopes to offer a reduced footprint and performance enhancement over the original Calendar component. Sunbird is still in the early stages of development and is certainly experimental software with version 0.2 having been released recently. Nonetheless Sunbird is a promising application for those of you already using Thunderbird or Firefox ... Sunbird is a promising application from the Mozilla Foundation. It is not a perfect application by any means but it has great scope for improvement alongside some already great features such as the webDAV server support. The real test for this application will be whether or not it is able to build upon its already solid foundation or whether it will only focus on quashing bugs to become a pure standalone version of Calendar. I heartily recommend that you give Sunbird a whirl if you already use Firefox or Thunderbird as it may just be what you were looking for." [ Posted at 9:32 AM | Permalink ]
Joswiak: 'True to What an iMac Has Always Been About'Macworld: "The display tilts from negative-5 to 25 degrees. We found that most people don't end up raising or lowering it. The big thing is the tilt direction, and what we've done here is achieve negative tilt, which is very important, especially if you have kids sitting around a computer, because they tend to be looking up at the computer. And we still have the ability to swivel left and right, but it does it on the entire base; we didn't need to create an arm to do that. There are little skids on the bottom -- this achieves much of the same things [as the G4 iMac] in a different way and, we think, in a better way ...It's probably worth noting the way we approached the goals of the project, have been true to what an iMac has always been about. The soul of an iMac is really four things. Number one, it's all-in-one elegance, the fact that you can just pull it out of the box, plug it in, and get to work -- it's all there, you don't have to figure out how to get the jigsaw puzzle to fit together in the right way. Number two is extreme simplicity. You look at this computer, and you know it's simple. And you guys know better than anyone what the experience is like with iLife and Mac OS X -- it's far simpler than what you can do on a PC. Number three is, it had to be perfect for iLife, perfect for that digital lifestyle, for how you work with your photos and your music and your movies -- that has to be a space that we own. We can't concede that to anybody, and we want the iMac to be the best way to work with the digital lifestyle. And number four is an innovative design, as we've always done, starting from the ground up. Not being constrained to going to [a generic computer manufacturer] and deciding where you put the logo, designing a computer from the ground up to meet the needs of our customers ... Well, let's be realistic [about shipping]. [The middle of September] is when they first start shipping. By definition a ramp means going from zero to whatever full capacity is going to be. On day one, there's all this demand that's built up, and inevitably, there's a shortage. People get excited about our products -- that's good, and in no way do I want to dampen that. ... but the reality is with any new product, it's hard to imagine any example where [a shortage] isn't the case." True enough. [ Posted at 9:23 AM | Permalink ]
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