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| Thursday, March 31, 2005 |
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MIKE WENDLAND: Apple, Microsoft prepare for war with new systems
March 31, 2005
BY MIKE WENDLAND
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
After years of relative quiet, both Microsoft and Apple are frenetically working on major new upgrades to the base software that run the personal computers of tens of millions of business and consumer users.
Microsoft is using the code name Longhorn to refer to its next upgrade to the Windows operating system. Apple, keeping the theme of naming its operating system software after big and fast cats, calls its next release Tiger.
We'll see Tiger in stores this year -- perhaps within a few weeks. Longhorn, as is typical of Microsoft, has been delayed a couple of times and is now not expected until mid-2006.
Longhorn will be the first major Microsoft upgrade since Windows XP hit computer hard drives in 2001. That's light-years in the world of personal computers, and much has changed in that time: Wireless Bluetooth connections for printers and keyboards are now common, floppy drives have disappeared, Wi-Fi is now widespread and dozens of new security challenges and issues like spyware and Trojans have surfaced.
Thus Longhorn will be the biggest upgrade since Windows 95. It may also prove to be a big sell for Microsoft. For all its early security faults, Windows XP has been greatly improved through patches and fixes and is now fairly stable and comfortable to consumers and corporate users, if not exciting and new.
Getting users to switch to Longhorn is going to require some mighty convincing reasons. And so far, Microsoft has been uncharacteristically quiet, speaking only in generalities. The company says Longhorn will make for easier and faster data sharing between applications, less power consumption for laptops, a more efficient navigation system, a more appealing desktop look and more secure wireless and networking capabilities.
The first concrete look at the new operating system is expected to come at the end of next month, when Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates is to give a preview to developers at the Windows Hardware and Engineering Conference in Seattle.
By June, Microsoft has promised to release the first full version of Longhorn for beta testing by software developers who need experience with the new environment before designing new programs that will work on it. That's when the first major hype should start.
But Longhorn will be competing with Apple's new Tiger operating system -- and Tiger is about ready to pounce.
Apple won't confirm reports that Tiger is now pretty much complete. But its worldwide developers conference June 1-10 in San Francisco is expected to focus almost entirely on Tiger. And with Chairman Steve Jobs doing the keynote speech, speculation is strong that he will announce its public release at that time.
Analysts are predicting a halo effect for Tiger, with the system basking in the stunning popularity of the iPod and the slew of new products Apple has been releasing, like its $499 Mac mini.
Unlike Microsoft, Apple is talking up Tiger's more than 100 new features big-time. The new operating system will come with something called Spotlight, which will allow any file or document on the hard drive to be instantly found, much as a user does a Web search.
Tiger has speed improvements, networking enhancements and new video display and editing features, too.
With around 5 percent of the personal computer marketplace, Apple has nowhere to go but up, and Tiger -- capitalizing on the company's new hip status -- is going to generate a lot of buzz.
Longhorn, meanwhile, will hit a marketplace already dominated by Windows. Microsoft is going to have to dig into its very deep pockets to convince people that it's worth the hassle.
To do so, it needs to start telling us some specifics and get a new name. The name Longhorn just doesn't get people very excited -- unless they live in Texas. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 10:30 PM |
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Sony PSP Gets Synced with Macs
PocketMac for PSP is the first tool to sync your Sony Playstation Portable device to your Macintosh computer, it has been under development for the past 4 months from Information Appliance Associates. With PocketMac, users can sync their contacts, music, photos and more. The software converts the contact information into a compact digital image, it can then be displayed on your PSP display for easy access when traveling. It will also sync data from Microsoft Entourage and Apple’s OS X Address Book. Music files will sync with iTunes and your Photos will sync with iPhoto, the data synced with USB or through memory stick technology.
Terence Goggin, CTO of Information Appliance Associates says "With PocketMac for PSP, Mac users can do more than PC users can. With the unique patent-pending ability to sync contacts to their PSP, music from iTunes and pictures from iPhoto, there's nothing a Mac-based PSP user can't do.”
PocketMac for PSP is selling now for $9.95. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 8:30 PM |
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| Tuesday, March 29, 2005 |
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Security Contest Cancelled - No Cash For Apple OS X Hacker
Fears over possible legal action have ended a competition sponsored by DVForge to see who could infect a computer running Apple's OS X.
The contest organized by DVForge, a company which builds Apple Accessories, resulted after security firm Symantec claimed that Apple's operating system would be under increasing security threats.
DVForge's chief executive, Jack Campbell, accused some in the antivirus community of taking advantage of virus fears among Mac users. Campbell admitted his personal distaste for such companies but assured the public the contest was not an attempt to garner publicity.
Because of possible legal issues stemming from such a contest, and its potential to increase Apple threats, Campbell said he had no other alternative than to retract it.
Under the terms of the competition the first hacker to infect the Mac OS X would have received $25,000. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 8:00 PM |
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| Friday, March 25, 2005 |
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Apple in settlement over leak
BEIJING, March. 25 -- Apple Computer Inc, the maker of iPod digital-music players and Macintosh computers, reached a settlement with a developer it accused of distributing unreleased versions of its OS X operating system on the Internet.
Doug Steigerwald, a college student and member of an Apple developer group who received advanced copies of Apple software and promised not to disclose them, agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to Apple and admitted that he disseminated the information in violation of his agreement.
"Although I did not mean to do any harm, I realize now that my actions were wrong and that what I did caused substantial harm to Apple, and for that I am truly sorry," said Steigerwald.
California-based Apple has filed lawsuits in response to leaks about new products on the Internet. Its claims against the other two developers in the OS X lawsuit are pending, and the company won a ruling on March 11 that three website publishers must disclose where they obtained confidential information about new products that they posted on the Web.
"While Apple will always protect its innovations, it is not our desire to send students to jail," the company said. "We are pleased that Mister Steigerwald has taken responsibility for his actions and that we can put this lawsuit behind us."
Joe Cheshire, an attorney for Steigerwald in North Carolina, was unavailable for comment.
In the lawsuit against Steigerwald, Apple said its financial performance depends on its ability to protect improvements to its operating system, used in PowerBook, iMac and other computers.
Through its Apple Developer Connection, a developers' group, Apple provides unreleased versions of programs to software developers who sign agreements prohibiting them from sharing keys that allow them to download the software. The agreements also prohibit distribution of the downloaded Apple products.
In a separate case, Apple filed a suit in December to determine who gave three website publishers information about an audio interface for GarageBand, the Apple software used to record and mix music.
Technical specifications were copied verbatim from confidential company slides labeled "Apple Need-to-Know Confidential" and published on the Internet, court documents said. Apple said the information was a trade secret and disclosing it violates federal law.
Apple shares fell 28 US cents to US$42.55 as of 4 pm (New York time) in NASDAQ Stock trading. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:00 PM |
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| Tuesday, March 22, 2005 |
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Apple iTunes Security Hack Sorted
Hacking Protection
Apple have plugged the "security hole" in their iTunes music store which allowed crafty music downloaders to get the tracks without any sort DRM protection.
The hack (or PyMusique software) was created by DVD Jon along with two other hackers who discovered that the protection was added to the track only at the point of download and not before.
Apple have instructed iTunes Music Store users to download iTunes 4.7 saying, "The security hole in the iTunes Music Store which was recently exploited has been closed, and as a consequence the iTunes Music Store will now sell music only to customers using iTunes version 4.7." |
| posted by Perimbean @ 5:00 PM |
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| Monday, March 21, 2005 |
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Apple takes on Korea's digital-music scene
By Macworld staff
Apple's iPod market share in Korea is only 10 per cent, but this is good considering that the segment is dominated by Korean companies, according to the Korea Herald.
According to a survey by online electronics retailer Danawa, the iPod market share is over 10 per cent, but this is impressive considering that Apple's products are sold in far-less fewer stores compared to those of their Korean counterparts including ReignCom and Samsung.
The company said: "Apple Computer hardly had a presence in the Korean MP3 market last year but their market share has been significantly growing since the release of the iPod Shuffle earlier this month. Considering the difference in the number of distributors, Apple Computer's market share has to be a lot higher than 7 per cent." |
| posted by Perimbean @ 3:30 PM |
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Group Hacks at Apple iTunes Profit
DRM Disabled
Programmers have developed a crack for Apple's digital rights management (DRM) software which allows users to bypass restrictions on the use of its iTunes.
PyMusique was written by a group of hackers from the US and Norway. With it, users can ignore music protection rules when they legally enter the Apple iTunes to purchase songs. This allows music files to be copied repeatedly and played on other digital music players. The program was originally intended for Linux users but has now been developed for Windows, a move that is sure to optimise its use.
The programmers, led by notorious 'legal' hacker, Jon Lech Johansen, deny that PyMusique breaks any copyright law.
Neither Apple nor the music industry have commented about their contracts or copyrights being breached. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 10:00 AM |
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| Friday, March 18, 2005 |
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ILife '05: Must-Have or Must Avoid?
Apple upgraded its suite of multimedia applications. Should you buy it?
Earlier this year, Apple upgraded its ILife suite of multimedia applications and upped the price from $49 to $79.
If you have a Mac--and don't already have a photo editor, digital video editor, DVD-authoring app, and digital music manager, not to mention a music-editing app--then buying ILife is a no-brainer. It's an incredible value. But most Mac users already have an earlier version of ILife, most likely last year's '04 version. (If you've bought a Mac Mini or other new Apple computer since mid-January, you either got ILife '05 with your system or are eligible to buy it for about $20, until the end of March.)
So, if you've already got the older version, is the latest and greatest worth the extra cash?
Let's look at what's new in each of the apps.
ITunes
The latest version of ITunes supports transferring digital photos to IPod Photo models, but it doesn't have a whole lot of new features: It was updated to be compatible with the IPod Shuffle, and it supports the Shuffle's AutoFill function. If you bought an IPod Shuffle, you get this version of ITunes for free. So although ITunes has always had some nice features--including a handy dialog box that makes it easy to meta-tag multiple songs--the new version isn't a must-have upgrade.
GarageBand 2
Apple's consumer-level application for composing and editing music got an under-the-hood tune-up with this release. You can now record as many as eight instruments at once. You can also view your software instrument tracks as musical notation, and even edit them that way.
Most significantly for amateur musicians, this version lets you save a software instrument as a loop, which frees up processing power. Since GarageBand is so resource-intensive, this could make it a lot more usable for people who don't have a fast new Mac. If you just dabble in music making, this probably won't motivate you to kick down your cash--but if you spend a lot of time with the program, you'll probably find that the new capabilities let you be more creative and productive. For a more in-depth look at the latest GarageBand, see Eric Butterfield's First Look.
GarageBand is nicely integrated with ILife--when you're happy with your musical composition, you can export it to ITunes, where it is available to use in your IMovie videos or IPhoto slide shows. But this feature was present in the first version as well.
IMovie HD
Here's where the "wow" factor kicks in: IMovie now can edit high-definition video. True, consumer cameras for shooting HD video are still in short supply, but it's pretty cool to be able to work with this content if you have it.
This isn't the first time Apple has made an emerging technology available to and usable by consumers, and I think that's admirable. For example, the company was first to incorporate 802.11g Wi-Fi in its products. And this month Apple joined an industry consortium promoting the Blu-ray Disc format, a high-capacity form of DVD. Apple doesn't talk about future product plans, but this hints at what type of optical drives to look for in future Mac systems.
Sooner rather than later, HD video hardware will be widely available; it will drop in price; and IMovie HD users will be ready. Of course, those HD shooters will be buying lots of high-capacity storage devices to hold their footage, as well. IMovie can also import and edit MPEG-4 files.
The new version of IMovie has a few more goodies up its sleeve. Apple included more transitions and effects, and it added more options for panning and zooming with still photos (the "Ken Burns effect").
If you've got digital video footage that you don't have time to craft into a movie, IMovie's new Magic Movie feature can do all the work for you. You choose a few settings, such as a title, the music you want in the sound track, and what type of transitions to use; then Magic Movie imports the video from your camcorder and does all the editing. It can even export the movie to IDVD so you can burn it right away. Apple isn't the first software maker to offer automatic movie editing: Windows-based programs like Muvee AutoProducer do the same thing.
Are the improvements to IMovie worth upgrading for? I'd say it's a borderline call. The wow factor of HD editing aside, the improvements are nice, but probably aren't worth the price on their own.
IDVD 5
Hand in hand with IMovie, IDVD now also supports high-definition video; it also supports wide-screen formats. And when you want to archive unedited video footage, you can use IDVD to import it from your camera and burn it to a DVD with one click. You can also save your video in any DVD format supported by your optical drive, including +RW and -RW; in addition, you can save the content on your DVD to your hard drive as a disk image.
Keeping its graphic artists busy, Apple has added a bunch of new themes that are attractive and fun. But I still haven't gotten the hang of DVD creation, and the way IDVD opens a project--with its animated background running and music playing--left me confused about what to do next. The multiple controls for adding and editing content don't help either. Experienced DVD creators probably will like IDVD's new capability to drag and drop photos and video into navigation menus, however.
If you're seriously into distributing your movies on disc, you probably won't think twice about spending $79 to get the new features in IDVD 5.
IPhoto 5
IPhoto has a lot of new features. I haven't liked earlier versions because I found the editing tools too rudimentary, and the navigation scheme didn't fit the way I think. While I still have some quibbles, version 5 is more flexible and usable.
Among IPhoto's exporting features, its slide shows are more customizable: You can choose transitions and duration for each photo. There are new book templates that users can modify. And now you can get a photo book made for less than $30: There are three softcover options ranging from $4 to $20. Those prices are much more reasonable than before, which is likely to generate more sales.
The editing view now has a "drawer" at the top of the screen that lets you browse through your images and easily switch among them for editing. In earlier versions, you had only Previous and Next buttons for opening different images within the editing window. The interface is cleaner, with fewer and more relevant options in the toolbar.
Significantly, Apple has added new ways to sort and view your images. From the Organizer view, you can filter your photos by month or by keyword, or use a calendar view. I still think that editing metadata for photos should be easier, though. You can't just click on the name of a file in the Organizer and rename it: You have to find the Batch Change command, either in the Photos menu or by Ctrl-clicking. There is a keyword toolbar that lets you assign keywords or sort by them--but it's not click-and-type simple to modify or add keywords, and you can't just drag the keyword label onto your images. Instead, you select a batch of images, then drag them onto the keyword button in the lower left corner of the window. To me, that's counterintuitive.
But version 5's photo editing tools are really what changed IPhoto from being an application I actively avoided to one I don't mind using. In addition to the one-touch Enhance tool, which automatically adjusts exposure and color balance, this version has tools for adjusting gamma levels, straightening crooked images, and tweaking color saturation and temperature. IPhoto also now imports and edits RAW-format digital photos.
The red-eye tool and the one-touch Enhance are still pretty blunt instruments--you can't fine-tune their effects. And the toolbar needs a big, fat Undo button. You can undo most changes with the Cmd-Z keystroke combination, but people often want to back out of changes they've made to photos, and how to do this isn't obvious. There is a Revert to Original command in the Photos menu, and it should be a button on the toolbar. Before-and-after preview windows would also be nice. Nonetheless, if IPhoto is your photo organizing and editing tool of choice, this is a worthwhile upgrade.
Altogether, ILife '05 is impressive--but you'd have to use at least one of its applications frequently in order to make the purchase worthwhile. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 3:00 PM |
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Samsung seeks slice of Apple iPod pie
Samsung unveiled on Thursday six new portable MP3 players, aimed at helping it triple sales this year.
The world's third-largest maker of mobile phones and the biggest maker of memory chips already sells eight MP3 players. The six new models are expected to be released in the first half of the year.
The upcoming models range from one with 256MB of flash memory to one with a 30GB hard drive capable of holding about 7,500 songs.
Samsung and big Asian brands Sony and Creative Technology, as well as PC heavyweights Dell and Gateway, have their sights set on Apple Computer's juicy market position.
Apple's popular iPod music player and iTunes music store have a 70 percent share of the global digital music player and music download markets. In the United States, Apple's market share is 80 percent.
"We aim to sell more than 5 million MP3 players this year versus 1.7 million sold last year and will seek various strategic alliances with content providers such as Microsoft to boost sales," Kim Suh-kyum, a Samsung vice president, said at a press conference.
Samsung's new pocket-size models have color screens and radio tuners. Some have features allowing people to watch music videos or take digital photographs.
Sales of MP3 players are set to grow 57 percent this year after more than doubling in 2004, according to market research group iSuppli, which predicts sales will more than double by 2009.
Samsung said it was looking to grab a 10 percent share in the United States this year, Kim said. He wouldn't say how much it accounted for in 2004. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:00 AM |
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| Thursday, March 17, 2005 |
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The iTunes mobile going nowhere
So now we know: the evil people who stopped Motorola releasing the phone with Apple’s iTunes software on it were… Apple.
That’s according to Ron Garriques, head of Motorola’s phone division, who told the CeBIT show in Hannover that the California company put the kibosh on the display of a Moto phone able to sync with computers to transfer songs bought from iTunes. Simply, Apple chief, Steve Jobs, thought that to show it off without being able to sell it was premature.
Referring to Apple’s CEO, Garriques said: “Steve’s perspective is that you launch a product on Sunday and sell it on Monday.” Whereas Motorola, he explained, launches a product when it’s ready to go on the market – that is, to show off to Motorola’s customers, who are of course the carriers, who then have to go on and sell it to their customers, which is the man, woman and often child in the street.
Motorola is ready to have one such phone on sale in the next three months, and another by the end of the year.
There’s a valuable lesson to be gleaned from Apple’s reluctance here, which goes to the difference between “Product marketing” and “Technology marketing” – terms I’ve borrowed from a former Apple employee who explained how the company is brilliant at one, but rubbish at the other.
Guess which? It’s not necessarily what you think.
Michael Teener joined Apple in 1988, and for the next eight years was the “Firewire guru” there. Firewire, also known as i-Link, is the very high speed data transfer system. It puts USB2 in the shade, but as Teener pointed out in a posting at the online discussion forum Tidbits, Apple did a terrible job of bringing others along with it.
“The real problem is that Apple does not understand Technology marketing,” Teener noted. “It is fabulous at Product marketing, but doesn’t seem to understand that technology, as technology, can confer a marketing advantage. This has to be done carefully and strategically, but it can have real advantages.”
And, he added, “the only company that does this well now is Intel.”
The difference between the two isn’t subtle. “With product marketing, you want to keep your competition behind – as far behind as possible. With technology marketing, you want your competition to be just behind you, but following you nonetheless.”
However Apple, he said, treats technical advantages as “something like a product, and then tries to sell it. The problem is, no-one wants to buy.”
That was the case with Firewire – which missed its chance to become a pervasive technology (not product) some time in the late 1990s. Graphics artists, who need to move lots of data around, still love it, and Apple includes it on its computers. However it missed the boat through a number of marketing errors (which Teener explains in his comment).
Result: Intel revived its previously dormant USB2 concept, which pretty much all PCs now use. Even though it’s slower than Firewire.
However the Motorola “iTunes phone” is not a new technology. You have to think that Apple, and Steve Jobs, are simply applying the rationale of product marketing in its strictest sense. Don’t let the competition know what you’ve got; keep it under wraps until you can ship it in a blaze of marketing.
It’s fairly clear that there’s no dramatic technology that the consumer needs to know about in those phones. If there were, they’d be a flop. You can’t expect people to simultaneously adopt a new means of listening to music and a new means of acquiring it in a mass market. That’s technology plus product.
It’s clear though that too many companies try to market technologies as if they were products. Hard disk recording off the TV, a la TiVo and Sky+, is a complex idea. Being first in the market is always going to be tough. Ironically, that’s the time when you want to encourage your rivals, so you can all benefit from the rising tide which lifts all ships.
Yet at the same time, people don’t buy technologies; they buy products. I’d say that how you view the standoff between Motorola and Apple is indicative of how well you understand the end-user who will actually hold the phone. Was Motorola right to want to be able to get an industry buzz going about its “iTunes phone” – though of course it would leak out further, into the consumer space, via the internet?
“The first thing you’re seeing here is a merger of two different industries with different ideas of launching products,” said Garriques, explaining the non-launch. That’s one way to look at it.
Another is that one of the industries – mobile phones – might take some lessons from another which has been around a lot longer, and where the phrase “vapourware” was first coined.
I’ll bet the one thing Steve Jobs absolutely didn’t want was for the iTunes Phone to be announced and then not see the light of day for various other reasons. That would be turning a product into a technology – and a failed one at that. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 9:15 PM |
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Apple to cream 10 per cent off iPod accessories sales
Apple is seeking 10 per cent of wholesale revenues from iPod accessories in return for letting them display its new Made for iPod logo.
The logo demonstrates that the accessory is fully compatible with the music player. Apple declined to comment on the royalties or the process for awarding certification to products
'With more than 400 iPod accessories on the market and growing, the Made for iPod logo program is designed to help consumers choose iPod accessories that work properly with their iPods, and also provide participating iPod accessory makers with guidelines and technical specifications to develop their products,' the company said in a statement.
Accessory manufacturers gave the programme a mixed reception.
Brian Van Harlingen, a senior technology manager for Belkin told www.news.com that, 'I'm hoping that it will make the market a little clearer for customers so that they will be able to buy with confidence. Any costs that might be associated with this program, we feel, would be offset by the benefits.'
However Jack Campbell, CEO of Mac add-on maker DVForge disagreed.
'Behind the scenes, all it is, is a strong-arm tactic to take control of the iPod channel,' he said.
One analyst estimates that Made for iPod could make Apple $25mn this year.
Apple's move is not unique. Game console makers often charge for use of logos and for access to proprietary hardware connections. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 5:00 PM |
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US COURT RULES:
Apple's trade secrets cannot be bared online
GOSSIP about new gadgets may make for great reading on a geek website, but it has now landed the grapevine in hot water.
Last Friday, a US judge ordered three independent online reporters to divulge their confidential sources following a lawsuit by Apple.
The judge ruled the three were not protected by the US First Amendment because they published trade secrets.
The ruling alarmed US speech advocates, who saw the case as a test of whether people who write for web publications enjoy the same legal protections as reporters for mainstream publications.
Among those are protections afforded under California's 'shield' law, meant to encourage the publication of information in the public's interest.
The reporters allegedly published product descriptions that Apple said employees had leaked in violation of non-disclosure agreements and possibly the US Trade Secrets Act.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg ruled that no one has the right to publish information that could have been provided only by someone breaking the law.
'The rumor and opinion mills may continue to run at full speed,' Mr Kleinberg wrote.
'What underlies this decision is the publishing of information that at this early stage of the litigation fits squarely within the definition of trade secret.
'The right to keep and maintain proprietary information as such is a right which the California Legislature and courts have long affirmed and which is essential to the future of technology and innovation generally.'
Last December, Apple sued several unnamed individuals, called Does, who leaked specifications about a pending music software - code-named Asteroid - to Mr Monish Bhatia, Mr Jason O'Grady and a person who writes under the pseudonym Kasper Jade.
Their articles appeared in the online publications Apple Insider and PowerPage.
Apple demanded that Bhatia, O'Grady and Jade divulge their sources.
The reporters refused, saying that identifying their sources would create a 'chilling effect' that could erode the media's ability to report in the public's interest.
APPEAL
The online reporters have said they would consider appealing against the decision favouring Apple.
They claim Apple is trying to curtail their First Amendment rights because they lack the legal and financial resources that mainstream publications have to fight such information requests.
Other trade publications wrote about the music technology after the reporters broke the story.
'Apple is using this case as a desperate attempt to silence the masses of bloggers and online journalists it cannot control but feels it can intimidate,' said Jade, who has been writing about Apple for more than eight years.
'Online publications are typically not backed by commercially-funded organisations - a weak spot Apple most certainly recognised prior to filing its suits. The company hopes that it can stop or chill the Apple-news industry with its threats.' - AP. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 8:00 AM |
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| Wednesday, March 16, 2005 |
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Motorola Delays iTunes Phone
"The first thing you're seeing here is a merger of two different industries with different ideas of launching products," Ron Garriques, president of Motorola's mobile phone division told analysts and reporters at a news conference at the CTIA wireless show in New Orleans.
Motorola did not show any phones designed to work with Apple's iTunes Music Store at CeBIT in Germany, as some had expected, because of differences with Apple when it comes to launching products.
Motorola tends to show products months in advance, while Apple likes to begin selling new products the day they are announced.
The conflicting approaches led Motorola to delay the announcement of the iTunes phones, Reuters reported Wednesday.
"The first thing you're seeing here is a merger of two different industries with different ideas of launching products," Ron Garriques, president of Motorola's mobile phone division told analysts and reporters at a news conference at the CTIA wireless show in New Orleans.
"[Apple CEO] Steve [Jobs'] perspective is that you launch a product on Sunday and sell it on Monday."
Garriques downplayed reports that the delay was due in part to disputes between Motorola and cell phone providers over royalties.
Motorola plans to launch two iTunes-capable phones this year, one in the first half and one in the second. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 6:15 PM |
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Apple Computers wins iTunes domain battle
NEW YORK, March 16 (newratings.com) – Apple Computers (AAPL.NAS) has won the rights to the www.itunes.co.uk domain, despite the domain being registered in the name of a UK-based company several years before the launch of Apple Computers’ music download service.
Benjamin Cohen, the chief executive of CyberBritain Holdings, had the domain registered in his name in November 2000, while iTunes was launched in 2004. Domain registrar Nominet has ruled that Apple Computers has the right to use the brand and that the name registration by Cohen was abusive. Cohen maintains his motives for registering the domain were innocent and that he had turned down a cash offer from Apple Computers for the domain. Cohen has decided to appeal against the ruling, either through Nominet or in the high court. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:15 PM |
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| Monday, March 14, 2005 |
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Apple utility 'confirms' dual-core PowerPC chip
Tantalising evidence of upcoming Macs based on the rumoured G5-class dual-core PowerPC 970MP - aka 'Antares' - has surfaced in the latest iteration of Apple's developer tools.
MONster, a utility included with Apple's Computer Hardware Understanding Developer (CHUD) kit, contains a direct reference to a "YPPC 970MP" buried within its binary code. MONster is used to track how a CPU processes code, the better to pinpoint performance issues caused by the iteration of code and processor.
According to an Everything Apple report, using the grep utility to search the version of MONster in CHUD 4.1.0 for the phrase "970MP" yields the following: "MONster.nib/keyedobjects.nib:879:71755:YPPC 970MP".
IBM's development of the 970MP first emerged in July 2004. The chip is believed to contain two PowerPC 970 cores each with its own Velocity Engine SIMD unit and 1MB of L2 cache, up from the current 970FX's 512KB, but still without L3 cache support. The 970FX is used by Apple in the Power Mac G5 and iMac G5 desktops and its Xserve G5 server.
The 970MP will clock initially at 3GHz with a 1GHz frontside bus, and feature an updated version of the 970FX's PowerTune power management system, which was designed to synchronise across processors, which suits it well to dual-core CPUs. The 13.23 x 11.63mm part is not expected to be pin-compatible with existing 970 and 970FX chips.
More recently, it has emerged that the 970MP will launch alongside the 970GX - a single-core version of the processor. A mention of the as-yet-unannounced 970GX recently appeared on IBM's website, although the company was quick to remove it and claim that it was all a mistake. The company has not publicly confirmed the 970GX or the 970MP. ® |
| posted by Perimbean @ 5:30 PM |
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Paying Tribute to Mac's Daddy
SAN MATEO, California -- They came from near and far, and they waited in line to get in. Nearly 600 people packed the Bayside Performing Arts Center here for Jef Raskin's memorial Sunday. Apple Computer employee No. 31, the so-called "father of the Macintosh," was someone many called a renaissance man.
Raskin, 61, died Feb. 26 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. At the time of his death, he was close to finishing a simplified user interface known as "Archy" designed to do away with unnecessary mouse movements.
Though the gathering was somber at times, an upbeat mood also produced humor. And many of those who knew him thought that was fitting for Raskin, who was known for his love of life and for finding play in nearly everything he did.
"I went over and joined the (Macintosh) project because where Jef and his friends were was always the place to be," said Brian Howard, another central member of the Mac development team. "It was a lot of fun, and it was a heady time, because we really did feel like we were going to change the world and make computers a different thing than they had been."
Joining Raskin's work group was an opportunity for Daniel Kottke, Apple employee No. 12 and another early Macintosh development team member, to be around "far and away the coolest group of people" at Apple.
"They were all really interesting characters," Kottke said. "I would attribute it partly to Jef's multifaceted personality and (his way of) attracting interesting people."
While Raskin will likely always be best known for his role in creating the Macintosh, that by no means defines his life. He will be remembered for his passion for his family, music, radio-controlled airplanes, bicycle racing, mathematics, teaching and mentoring, and creating new forms of human-computer interactions.
"It isn't right that the student should go before the teacher," one of Raskin's early teachers, Ronald Genise, told the crowd. "Even as a 12-year-old, Jef enjoyed pushing envelopes ... and (creating) not only new knowledge for himself but, as it turned out, for countless others as well."
Genise recounted how, after discussing number systems in class one day, he'd been ready to move on to another subject.
"He gleefully announced to me that he finally created a new number system whose power exceeded that of the real number system," Genise said. "And with that gleam still in his eyes, he proceeded to describe the elements of that system and its properties. He referred to that system as the 'J' number system, naturally."
Clearly, Raskin's aptitude for math and computing started early. Few were as far ahead of their time as Raskin.
"'He said that a computer should be a household appliance,'" said Aenea Raskin, Jef's daughter, who also quoted his cousin Miriam Meisler: '"He said that in 1963, when he was 20.'"
Many people know Raskin feuded with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, not speaking since 1982. In the wake of his death, that story has been told again and again in countless obituaries. But to some in attendance Sunday, that unfortunate episode in Raskin's life is hardly worth recounting.
"The guy has such huge scope to his life," said Bruce Damer, who runs the computer museum DigiBarn and has posted a comprehensive website memorializing Raskin. "There's more than just that very simplified story."
Damer remembered an interview Raskin had given when Mac OS X was first announced. The reporter, Damer recalled, was trying to get Raskin to say that the new operating system was a significant step forward.
"Jef looks at the camera and says, 'No,'" Damer said. "'It's no evolution at all. It's no advance at all.'" And while many Mac zealots were likely rankled by Raskin's assessment of OS X, Damer said the operating system didn't solve being "stuck in this morass of overlapping windows."
While there was no shortage of paeans to Raskin's user-interface work Sunday, his family and friends talked more about his fascination with flight and his love of fun and play.
Yesso Tekerian described Raskin's innovative work on radio-controlled airplanes, which included his design to help the Forestry Service study difficult-to-reach terrain. Tekerian said big companies like Boeing or Lockheed Martin would have charged a seven-figure fee and taken two years to complete their design, but Raskin did the job for just four figures.
"There are those rare occasions where the U.S. government does get a bargain," Tekerian said.
Another friend, Kathleen Mandis, recalled how Raskin had chosen a hillside house because it had a huge window that allowed him to see the planes taking off from and landing at San Francisco International Airport.
His homes also illustrate a key aspect of this legendary man.
"He'd always had the childhood dream of houses with secret doorways," said colleague Brian Howard. "He made sure he built those in, so there were always little hidden doors that carried you off into all kinds of places." |
| posted by Perimbean @ 10:15 AM |
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| Sunday, March 13, 2005 |
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Apple considers next steps against iPod shuffle look-alike
Apple's lawyers are said to be 'weighing their options' after a company refused to remove its iPod shuffle lookalike from its stall at the CeBit technology show in Germany.
Luxpro temporarily took the portable music player from its stand on Friday only to bring it back out on Saturday, leading to what has been described as a heated exchange of words with a distraught Apple representative.
Luxpro's Super Shuffle is a near identical copy of the iPod shuffle, although its feature set differs slightly, with an FM tuner, voice recorder and support for WMA rather than AAC files. Like the iPod version, Super Shuffle is available in 512MB and 1GB sizes and is both Mac and PC compatible.
'Interest' in the device appears to have been too much for Luxpro's Web server; www.luxpro-corp.com/e_575d.htm has been available intermittently and at the time of writing was down, 'due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems'.
iPodlounge has pictures of the device as well as the stand, which includes posters near identical to Apple's iPod advertising. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 9:00 AM |
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| Friday, March 11, 2005 |
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Apple Joins Blu-ray Disc Association
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced that Apple has joined the consortium and will become a member of the Board of Directors.
"Apple is pleased to join the Blu-ray Disc Association board as part of our efforts to drive consumer adoption of HD," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Consumers are already creating stunning HD content with Apple's leading video editing applications like iMovie HD and are anxiously awaiting a way to burn their own high def DVDs."
Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD). The format is also likely to become a standard for PC data storage and high-definition movies in the future. The name Blu-ray is derived from the underlying technology, which utilizes a blue-violet laser to read and write data. The name is a combination of "Blue" and optical ray "Ray". According to the Blu-ray Disc Association, the spelling of "Blu-ray" is not a mistake. The character "e" is intentionally left out because a daily-used term can't be registered as a trademark.
Apple has been a leader in driving consumer adoption of DVD authoring and is now helping bring High Definition (HD) to market with a complete line of HD content creation tools for consumers and professionals alike including iMovie HD, Final Cut Express HD and Final Cut Pro HD editing software. Apple will work together with the BDA on the development and promotion of the Blu-ray Disc format.
Additionally the next release of Apple’s QuickTime software, QuickTime 7, will feature the MPEG developed H.264 Advanced Video Codec (AVC) which has been adopted for high definition DVDs. Apple will release QuickTime 7 in conjunction with the release of Mac OS X version 10.4 “Tiger,” the fifth major version of Mac OS X that will ship in the first half of 2005.
The BDA was created to broaden support for Blu-ray Disc—the next generation optical disc for storing High Definition movies, photos and other digital content. Blu-ray Discs will have five times larger capacity than today's DVDs, with a single-layer Blu-ray Disc holding up to 25 gigabytes of data and a double-layer Blu-ray Disc holding up to 50 gigabytes of data. Current DVDs hold 4.7 gigabytes on single-layer discs and 8.5 gigabytes on dual-layer discs. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 8:30 PM |
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Apple faces the music as iPod competitors emerge
LOS ANGELES: Apple Computer Inc. has a winner despite increasing attacks by iPod wannabes.
As Sony Corp, which introduced a new music player this week, and software maker Napster, with a new portable subscription service, crowd into the market, many analysts are nervous an 'iPod killer' will ravage Apple's ability to grow.
But others see an exploding market where Apple can win without maintaining the breadth of its lead - it now has about 70 per cent of the digital music player and music download markets.
"Less than one per cent of the world's population has a digital music player. Apple will have more competition but the overall category will grow fast enough and there should not be any slowdown for Apple," said Rick Doherty, analyst with market research firm Envisioneering Inc.
After a bull run that's pushed Apple's stock up nearly sixfold since early 2003, shares of the wildly popular iPod maker have been falling in the past month as competition from other music services like Napster has heated up.
Apple's shares are down more than 7 per cent this week after Sony Corp. unveiled a new Walkman MP3 player, while in January, Lehman Brothers analyst Harry Blount wrote in a research note that he was "increasingly wary of valuation. "
Sony, whose Walkman player dominated personal audio for two decades, could give Apple a run for its money and climb into the No. 2 position, but its entry also could further fuel demand across-the-board.
"If these new entrants come in and accelerate the growth of the market, there will be no adverse consequence to Apple, even if its market share slips," said Phil Leigh, analyst with Inside Digital Media, who forecasts 100 per cent growth rates up to the next four years in digital music sales and in digital music players.
"If the market's 10 times the current size and Apple's market share slips to 50 percent, they're still off to a good start, " said Leigh.
Apple commands between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of the digital music player market, having sold about 10 million iPods to date. Piper Jaffray forecasts Apple will sell nearly 22 million iPods in 2005, and about 27 million in 2006.
Wall Street expects Apple profits to grow 24.8 per cent annually over the long-term, according to Reuters Estimates.
"The point where we start to get concerned is when the absolute number of iPods starts to slow down, but we're probably a couple of years away," said Gene Munster, senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray.
"Two years from now, we're still going to be talking about Apple as the dominator. Yes, there's risk at that point, but its such a green field market for the next few years, they'll have a lot of space to run with it," he said.
Munster and others also believe Apple will benefit as consumers get acquainted with its other products once they are hooked on the popular iPods, what some analysts have dubbed the "halo effect. "
While Apple has sold iPods at healthy profit margins, its download model runs at about break-even, even though Apple has sold more than 300 million downloads to date. Down the road, Leigh expects downloads will be more important to Apple.
"Ten years from now, Apple will be making more money out of iTunes than from iPods," said Leigh. "The record labels will be willing to sell at lower prices because the volumes will be so high and the inherent profitability will be higher," he said. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 5:30 PM |
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Timing right for mass market assault - Apple CFO
By Karen Haslam
Having invested a lot on marketing and extending its channels over the last few years, and with the benefit of the iPod halo effect, Apple feels that it is now in a position to address the broader market, according to the company's chief financial officer.
The timing of the launch of the Mac mini and the iPod shuffle is spot-on, explained CFO Peter Oppenheimer speaking to analysts at the Morgan Stanley Semiconductor and System Conference. The launch comes at a time when Windows users are thinking about moving to the Mac, he said, referring to the iPod halo effect.
"We've been putting the first Apple product [iPod] in the hands of millions of Windows customers around the world and when they've had a good experience with an iPod many have asked what else does Apple offer and we think this is helping us in the Mac business."
Virus injection
Another selling point is the viruses that have plagued Windows. "You read a lot about virus security issues on the Windows platform and we think there is frustration there. So we think that timing is really great for the Mac mini as it addresses these issues," he said.
According to Oppenheimer the company is already seeing a lot of interest in the Mac mini from Windows users. "We’re seeing Windows users coming in to our stores and channel partners around the world, looking at the Mac mini and buying it as a first Mac," he said, adding: "and I think we're seeing an new install base add the second or third or the next Mac into their home or business".
With the Apple retail stores in place it seems the company is finding it easier to get its products to the Windows market. Oppenheimer revealed that Apple is selling "about 40 – 45 per cent of the computer in our stores to people that have never owned a Mac before".
Polished halo
It is the halo affect that is bringing these customers into the stores. Oppenheimer indicated: "Ron Jonson would attribute a fare amount of the traffic that he's getting to people who've had a great experience on an iPod and wanted to come in and look at a Mac."
The halo effect of the iPod isn't only helping the company sell Macs to Windows users. It has also aided the company in getting its products into the education market.
"Last year we grew our higher-education business 40 per cent year on year and we think that the iPod definitely played a role in that. If students in high-school or college had a good experience with an iPod we think they wanted to take an iBook or a PowerBook off to school with them."
Even more interesting is that the company thinks it is experiencing the halo effect in the enterprise market, with the interest in the iPod opening up opportunities for Apple to speak with companies that wouldn't traditionally turn to the Mac.
"In terms of the enterprise we're selling a lot of iPods to enterprise customers that are using the iPod for internal awards or for promotion externally," he explained, "City bank has recently run a retail promotion featuring the iPod and they reported that it was their best ever promotion. So that is certainly opening up doors for us to have conversations. We also have employee purchase programmes with many organisations in the Fortune 500, which is another way for us to start conversations." |
| posted by Perimbean @ 5:00 PM |
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Motorola in tune with Apple hits
Motorola is working on several mobile phones that are compatible with Apple's iTunes music service, and some can store eight hours of songs.
The E790 was slated for a European launch this summer, but that has been delayed after discussions with operators, a Motorola spokesman said at CeBIT, the world's biggest electronics fair being held in Hanover, Germany.
The model is a surprise as it was originally planned ahead of the ROKR, which is also a music phone with iTunes and which Motorola has banged the drum about but has not yet shown. The ROKR is expected to be unveiled later this month at a music event in Florida.
Sony Ericsson showed its first phone with a built-in Sony Walkman last week and expects the first one to be on the market in August or September.
Motorola hopes to benefit from its association with Apple, which makes the world's most popular digital player iPod and runs the world's most popular music store, iTunes Music Store.
The fact that some iTunes phones can store eight hours of music is different from announcements last year that Motorola phones would only carry a small number of songs. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 4:00 PM |
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Commentary: Apple's Blueprint for Genius
Handling its own design work is one reason for best-sellers like the iPod and Shuffle. Steve Jobs is the other.
"Designed in Cupertino."
The words are printed in such small type on the back of Apple's (AAPL ) tiny new iPod Shuffle MP3 player that you have to squint to read them. But they speak volumes about why Apple is standing so far out from the crowd these days. At a time when rivals are outsourcing as much design as possible to cut costs, Apple remains at its core a product company -- one that would never give up control of how those products are created.
In this age of commodity tech products, design, after all, is what makes Apple Apple. This focus is apparent to anyone who has used one of its trailblazing products. While the Silicon Valley pioneer sells only a few dozen models, compared to the hundreds offered by many of its rivals, many of those "designed in Cupertino" products are startling departures from the norm -- and they often set the directions for the rest of the industry. Examples abound, from the iPod, to the flat screen look of the new iMac, to the simple smallness of the new Mac mini PC.
What's the secret? The precise details are almost impossible to get, because Apple treats its product-development processes like state secrets -- going so far as to string black drapes around the production lines at the factories of the contract manufacturers it hires to assemble its products. In one case, says a source who once worked on an Apple project, the outfit even insisted that its wares be built only on the midnight shift, when fewer prying eyes might be around.
"INSANELY GREAT." But the general themes are clear. Most CEOs are focused on achieving their financial and operational goals, and on executing a strategy. But Apple's Steve Jobs believes his company's ultimate advantage comes from its ability to make unique, or as he calls them, "insanely great" products.
Jobs's entire company is focused on that task. That means while rival computer makers increasingly rely on so-called outsourced design manufacturers (ODMs), for key design decisions, Jobs keeps most of those tasks in-house. Sure, he relies on ODMs to manufacture his products, but the big decisions on Apple products are made in Silicon Valley.
Jobs himself is a crucial part of the formula. He's unique among big-time hardware CEOs for his hands-on involvement in the design process. Even product-design experts marvel at the power of the Jobs factor.
FIRST, AN IDEA. "I've been thinking hard about the Apple product-development process since I left," says design guru Donald Norman, co-founder the design consultants Nielsen Norman Group, who left Apple in 1997. "If you follow my [guidelines], it will guarantee good design. But Steve Jobs doesn't want good design. He wants great design, and my method will never give you that. That takes a rare leader, who can bring both the cohesion and commitment and style. And Steve has it."
Many executives believe that outsourcing design allows them to lower the salaries they must pay, and lets them have engineers working on the products across all time zones. Jobs thinks that's short-sighted. He argues that the cost-savings aren't worth what you give up in terms of teamwork, communication, and the ability to get groups of people working together to bring a new idea to life. Indeed, with top-notch mechanical, electrical, software, and industrial designers all housed at Apple's Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, Calif., the company's design capability is more vertically integrated than almost any other tech outfit.
Typically, a new Apple product starts with a big idea for an unmet customer need. For the original iPod, it was for an MP3 player that, unlike earlier models, could hold and easily manage your entire music collection. Then, Apple's product architects and industrial designers figure out what that product should look like and what features it should have -- and, importantly, not have. "Apple has a much more holistic view of product design," says David Carey, president of design consulting firm Portelligent. "Good product design starts from the outside, and works its way inside."
HALF MEASURE. Already, that's different from the process by which the bulk of tech products are made. Increasingly, tech companies meet with ODMs to see what designs they have cooked up. Then, the ODMs are asked to tweak those basic blueprints to add a few features, and to match the look and feel of the company's other products.
That's where the "design" input might end for most companies. But since it's almost always trying to create one-of-a-kind products, Apple has to ask its own engineers to do the critical electrical and mechanical work to bring products to life.
In the iPod Shuffle, for example, designers cut a circuit card in two and stacked the pieces, bunk-bed style, to make use of the empty air space created by the height of the battery in the device. "They realized they could erase the height penalty [of the battery] to help them win the battle of the bulge," says Carey, whose company did a detailed engineering analysis of the iPod Shuffle.
SCREW-FREE. Even more important, Apple's products are designed to run a particular set of programs or services. By contrast, a Dell (DELL ) or Gateway (GTW ) PC must be ready for whatever new features Microsoft (MSFT ) comes out with, or whatever Windows program a customer opts to install.
But Apple makes much of its own software, from the Mac operating system to applications such as iPhoto and iTunes. "That's Apple's trump card," says one Apple rival. "The ODMs just don't have the world-class industrial design, the style, or the ability to make easy-to-use software -- or the ability to integrate it all. They may some day, but they don't have it now."
Of course, Apple also sets its self apart by designing machines that are also little works of art -- even if it means making life difficult for manufacturers contracted to build those designs. During a trip to visit ODMs in Asia, one executive told securities analyst Jim Grossman of Thrivent Investment Management about Steve Jobs's insistence that no screws be visible on the laptop his company was manufacturing for Apple. The executive said his company had no idea how to handle the job and had to invent a new tooling process for the job. "They had to learn new ways to do things just to meet Apple's design," says Grossman.
TOUGH CUSTOMER. That's not to say Apple is completely bucking the outsourcing trend. All its products are manufactured by ODMs in Asia. Just as it buys chips and disk drives from other suppliers, sources say Apple lets ODMs take some role in garden-variety engineering work -- but not much. "This is an issue for Apple, because the A-team engineers [at the ODMs] don't like working with Apple. It's like when you were a kid, all your dad let you do was hold the flashlight, rather than let you try to fix the car yourself," says an executive at a rival MP3 maker.
In fairness, Apple's reliance on a smaller number of products than its rivals and go-it-alone design means it's always a dud or two from disaster. But at the moment, it's proving that "made in Cupertino" is a trademark for success. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:00 PM |
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| Thursday, March 10, 2005 |
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Mimer SQL Now Available for Apple's Mac OS X
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, March 10, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Mimer Information Technology, a leading developer of enterprise and mobile database servers, today announces the immediate availability of Mimer SQL for Mac OS X. This makes it possible also for Mac users to take full advantage of Mimer SQL's high performance and zero maintenance. A free development and evaluation version of Mimer SQL for Mac OS X is available for download from Mimer's web site (http://developer.mimer.com/macosx).
Mimer SQL has a long and successful track record in both large mission critical systems and as an embedded black box DBMS in many software products. This combination of high performance and ease-of-use makes Mimer SQL very well suited for the Mac OS X environment, matching Apple's own philosophy of simplicity and user friendliness. Mimer SQL supports both Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server. "With Apple's commitment to the enterprise market, with increasing server sales, it is certainly a good time to bring the zero maintenance, high performance and scalable Mimer SQL database to the Mac," said Stefan Eck, Product Manager of Mimer Information Technology. "We are looking forward to reach new groups of users. This includes both end users with mission critical systems and independent software vendors that provides high volume products for the Mac OS X." Mimer SQL's "Install & forget" concept lets the user install the product in just a few minutes, and when deployed, there is no need for a database administrator. The zero maintenance features of Mimer SQL like non locking transaction control, automatic database reorganization, automated online backup, self tuning database kernel, tight OS integration, and small footprint rewards the users with an unprecedented low total cost of ownership (TCO). The scalability and high performance of Mimer SQL on Mac OS X make it possible to develop applications for anything from iBooks to enterprise Xserves with thousands of users. Mimer SQL implements full support for all established database standards. This includes support for ISO SQL: 1999, ODBC, JDBC and Unicode. Mimer SQL has built-in multilingual support for more than 150 languages including Chinese, Japanese and 15 different Indian languages. Mimer SQL can be used together with popular development tools like WebObjects, Jboss, Tomcat, Omnis, and 4D. A beta version of Mimer SQL 9.2 for Mac OS X is available for free download from Mimer's developer web site (http://developer.mimer.com/).
About Mimer Information Technology
AB Mimer Information Technology is a world leader in the field of zero maintenance DBMSs with its Mimer SQL product. Mimer SQL is an easy-to-use, high performance and scalable database server available for Windows, Mac OS X, OpenVMS, Linux and other Unix platforms. Mimer SQL is also available for smart phones and PDAs, making it easy to integrate server and mobile databases. Examples of customers using Mimer SQL for their mission-critical systems are Volvo Car (Sweden), National Blood Service (England) and DJ Galvanizing (Canada). The company is part of the Upright Group. For further information about Mimer SQL, please contact Stefan Eck, Product Manager, Mimer Information Technology AB Phone +46 - (0)18 780 92 21, +46 -- (0)730 299 321 (mobile) E-mail: stefan.eck@mimer.se, Web: http://www.mimer.com |
| posted by Perimbean @ 10:00 PM |
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Attention Apple Legal Dept: LuxPro debuts blatant 'iPod shuffle' rip-off called 'Super shuffle'
"LUXPRO, a Taiwan-based maker of digital audio products, has introduced what can only be described as a blatant rip-off of Apple's iPod shuffle. LUXPRO's 'Super shuffle,' which is being shown this week at the CeBIT conference in Germany, is nearly identical to the iPod shuffle in every way--from its form factor to its name and advertising," iPodlounge reports.
"Made from the same white plastic and featuring the same control pad as the iPod shuffle, the Super shuffle is also the exact length (3.3") and width (0.99") as the iPod shuffle. The flash memory-based Super shuffle is a little thicker (0.38") than the iPod shuffle (0.33"), but offers an FM tuner and voice recorder, which the Apple device lacks," iPodlounge reports.
"Like the iPod shuffle, the Super shuffle is offered only in 512MB and 1GB sizes, and works with both Windows and Mac OS X. Pricing and availability were not immediately available. However, MacNews.de was able to snap a handful of photos of the device and its advertising at CeBIT, which show that LuxPro is not only cloning Apple's low-cost player, but is also replicating its well-known silhouette ads," iPodlounge reports.
Full article, more images, and links here.
MacNews.de has photos of the device from CeBIT here.
LUXPRO's 'Super shuffle' webpage here.
MacDailyNews Take: Wow, right down to the earbuds and the lowercase "s" in "shuffle." But, they really should've called it the "iSuper shuffle." LUXPRO ought to include a note saying, "Designed by Apple in California," on their 'Super shuffle' packaging. For those wondering, Apple has won cases like this before. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 8:45 PM |
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Apple licensing threatens CherryOS emulator
By Macworld staff
A Mac OS X licensing issue may put a spanner in the works of a G4 Emulator that allows Panther to be installed on a PC.
CherryOS, created by Maui X-Stream's Arben Kryeziu, allows users of Intel PCs to run Mac OS X by emulating a G4 processor and accompanying hardware. The emulation software costs $50, and it is necessary to buy a copy of Panther.
However some commentators have noted that Apple's Mac OS X Software License Agreement states: "This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple-labelled computer at a time."
Apples, Pears and Cherries
This is the latest issue to dog the software that was surrounded by controversy when it was first announced in October 2004. A that time the software maker was accused of stealing from the open source PearPC project.
Kryeziu acknowledged that the pre-release version contained some PearPC code, but he claimed that this was a mistake on the part of one of the programmers working on the project, who had since been fired, writes eWeek.
Regarding the comparisons with PearPC, a spokeswoman for Maui X-Stream said: "The CherryOS product runs six times faster, so the performance is clearly superior."
However, according to BetaNews, CherryOS boots up in the exact same manner as PearPC, and its error messages and source files are nearly identical. The emulator also includes MacOnLinuxVideo, which is the same driver used by PearPC to speed up graphics. The CherryOS configuration file also closely mirrors that used by PearPC. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 8:30 PM |
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First 'Made For iPod' accessory ships, program explained
The first iPod accessory to carry Apple's new "Made for iPod" badge is now shipping: it's Macally's new IceTune stackable speaker system, which received a favorable initial preview from iPodlounge, and signals that Apple's Made for iPod program is now getting off the ground. Several third-party accessory makers have confirmed to iPodlounge that their products are either now beginning to ship with the Made for iPod badge, or will be in the near future.
According to Apple, and as previously reported by iPodlounge, the Made for iPod program aims to help consumers choose iPod products that are compatible with and safe for their iPods. The program consists of guidelines and specifications that companies must follow when bringing accessories to market. Companies that join the program pay a licensing fee to Apple for use of the badge and access to authorized sources of iPod connector components.
"This is a very important logo for Macally to have on our packages because we at Macally work hard to meet all of Apple's requirements and we hope to help strengthen and support the iPod brand," Macally's Adrian Chan told iPodlounge. "By seeing the Made for iPod logo on the package, consumers will be able to choose products that are acknowledged by Apple."
Chan said that as part of the program Macally does extensive self-testing that includes "every aspect of charging and iPod functionality." After the in-house testing, products are submitted to Apple for final review. The program appears to primarily be a self-certification process to meet guidelines published by Apple, whereby the accessory maker tests the product itself.
Other iPod accessory manufacturers expressed support for the Made for iPod program. "We strongly support the program, both for ourselves and our customers," Brian Van Harlingen, Director of Technology at Belkin told iPodlounge. "For our customers, it gives an assurance that the manufacturer has used due diligence to ensure that the products they produce are fully compatible with and safe for use with the iPod. This is important, because a person's iPod is far more than a $300 MP3 player — it's personal. For Belkin, we feel it will ensure that the market is not saturated with dangerous substandard products." Van Harlingen said Belkin will begin manufacturing products with the badge on retail packaging within the next two weeks.
XtremeMac CEO Gary Bart said his company's products bearing the new badge are in manufacturing now and will be shipping shortly. "XtremeMac is a strong supporter of Apple's badging program," Bart said. "We believe that customers prefer the security of knowing that connector based products are reliable and will function properly and, most importantly, not damage their iPod. The badging program validates the process we have followed all along and lets consumers know that our products are compatible and safe."
At least one major maker of iPod accessories has chosen not to join the program. DVForge CEO Jack Campbell said that his company's upcoming iPod accessories will not carry the Made for iPod badge, in part because he believes that DVForge can create add-ons of the same quality as those in the program, without being tied to Apple's licensing requirements.
'We have several iPod accessories coming up, and we've talked with Apple about the new Made for iPod program," Campbell said. "Their stated goals appear admirable, as providing customers with assurance from the Mothership that certain electronic items work well with an iPod. However, the reality is that those of us who build these products already realize that our livelihoods are at stake. And, we actually do a good job of engineering the products, without Apple's blessing."
Expect a full review of Macally's IceTune speakers shortly. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 4:00 PM |
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| Tuesday, March 08, 2005 |
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Apple iTunes/iPod profits face patent challenge
By Macworld staff
Apple's busy legal diary keeps growing thicker, with new litigation against the Cupertino company that demands 12 per cent of its iTunes and iPod profits.
The computer firm has angered Hong Kong company Pat-Rights. The latter firm claims to own the patent of the digital rights management technology used in the iTunes Music Store.
Pat-Rights alleges that Apple is infringing on US patent 6,665,797: "Protection of software again against unauthorized use". This was granted in 2003.
The patent describes a way to determine if identity information "is existing in a processing apparatus".
A European Patent (number 1242893) on the process was applied for in 1998, but this has not yet been approved.
Pat-Rights CEO Philip Tse said: "We have kept a close watch on every dvelopment of iTunes. We believe this is wilful infringement. Apple shows no respect to us and our patent rights." |
| posted by Perimbean @ 4:00 PM |
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Sony takes on Apple's iPod Shuffle
Sony has launched a new line-up of flash based MP3 players to tackle Apple’s iPod Shuffle. The new models will start at 256Mb of memory and cost under £70.
"Until now, the complaint was that Sony products sold at a major premium," said Gregory Kukolj, general manager of the personal audio group in Europe.
Sony's new flash memory players are equipped with chips capable of storing 256 megabytes, 512 megabytes or one gigabyte of data. Sony also said that the new devices would have 50 hours of battery life with the ability to play for 3 hours will a charge of just 3 minutes.
The 1Gb model will still cost £200 compared to Apple’s iPod Shuffle at £99. The new models will feature a LCD display though.
The new models will be on show at CeBit the technology show in Germany.
Pocket-lint will be attending the show so will keep you post on any further developments. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 12:00 PM |
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| Monday, March 07, 2005 |
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Technology: Review: Apple Polishes the PowerBook Line
[Technology News]: Apple Computer Inc.'s PowerBooks have long been considered the Rolls-Royce of laptops with their stylish looks, powerful engines and hefty price tags. But with two years passing since its last major update, the line was at risk of being eclipsed by upstarts running on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows platform.
Any fears that Powerbooks' reputation as the best in the business might have been eclipsed were put to rest after the revamped lineup appeared on Jan. 31.
The company even cut prices on most models a bit.
The machines haven't undergone a total transformation. They're still powered by PowerPC G4 processors, not the newer G5 found in most of Apple's desktops. The bump-up in speed isn't tremendous either, though the latest PowerBooks are anything but laggards.
Prices start at $1,499 for a model with a 12-inch screen, 1.5 gigahertz processor, a combo DVD reader and CD writer, and a 60 gigabyte hard drive. The priciest model, for $2,699, features a 17-inch screen, 1.67 GHz processor, a souped up DVD-CD burner and a 100-gig drive. Previously, prices ranged from $1,599 to $2,999, with speeds starting at 1 GHz and topping out at 1.33 GHz.
Besides lower prices, the new PowerBooks sport new standard features that often cost extra with other Apple computers and those in the Windows world.
All come with a minimum of 512 megabytes of memory _ twice as much as what was included with the previous generation. Mac OS X runs smoothly with the extra memory, and there's plenty of room to run other programs like the included Apple digital lifestyle suite for organizing and editing pictures, videos and music.
Out of the box, all the new PowerBooks can immediately connect to a wireless Internet network as well as devices that support the Bluetooth wireless standard. In wired environments, these laptops support regular Ethernet connections at up to gigabit speeds with the higher-end models.
All of the models are encased in a silvery aluminum alloy that feels rugged and is visually appealing. The white Apple logo, on the reverse of the screen, glows when the laptop is in use. The full-size keyboard illuminates in dark rooms on the models with 15- and 17-inch screens.
I tried out a PowerBook with a 1.67 GHz processor, 15-inch screen and $2,299 price tag.
I was impressed with the new "TrackPad" touchpad, which performs two different functions depending on how many fingers are used. With one finger, it serves as a pointing device. With two fingers, I could scroll through an active window vertically and horizontally, depending on the motion.
Apple also has revved up the speed of all the hard drives, improving data access.
There's also a new "Sudden Motion Sensor" that detects when the computer has been dropped and takes action to protect the hard drive from damage.
I tested it out by dropping the unit onto a cushion. The video that was playing stopped, indicating the machine sensed the fall. Without slamming the PowerBook into concrete, it would be difficult to tell if the drive's data would have been protected.
There are several other minor touches as well, including a power cord that breaks into two segments, one of which can be used as a shorter cord when a longer one isn't needed.
In terms of battery life, my PowerBook lasted slightly less than three hours before losing all its juice as I surfed the Internet wirelessly, checked e-mail and played DanLabGames' addictive Mahjong Solitarus.
But it didn't last as long when playing a DVD movie, shutting down after just 2 hours and 15 minutes of continuous play.
Still, it quit very elegantly, first warning that the battery was low and then going into sleep mode. Once I plugged it back in, the laptop awoke and all windows and other settings were restored. That's not always the case with Windows laptops.
Compared with the longer-lasting batteries and faster processors in many non-Apple laptops, it might seem that PowerBooks are lagging.
They're not _ at least not yet. Apple has focused on evolutionary improvements, but sometimes the little touches can add up to something big. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 9:30 PM |
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Apple gets nod from genomics researchers
Apple made the short list of five companies that are "widely perceived to be the best qualified to implement new technologies that will advance genomics research." Market research firm BioInformatics LLC recently published results of the survey that asked 600 genomics researchers which technology vendor they prefer.
"We are really pleased about it," Liz Kerr, Apple's Director Science and Technology Markets, told MacCentral. "It's nice when you know that you have a great solution and you hear things from your customers about how much they're enjoying it and how productive it is, but then to see it broadly reflected in a piece of research like this is really gratifying."
News of the research will not change Apple's approach to the science market, but Apple is planning to take their message on the road in the very near future. Beginning at the end of March Apple will launch a small national road show that will focus on high performance computing in the sciences. The road show is scheduled to visit San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, New York and Cincinnati.
"We are trying to be as methodical as we can," said Kerr. "One of our challenges has always been to let the community know how serious we are about this market and to make sure they understand that."
Kerr said that hardware releases like the Xserve G5 and Xsan Storage Area Network File System show the high performance computing community how serious Apple really is about the market.
"Anyone that was doubting our commitment to providing across the board solutions stopped when they saw the servers and storage solutions we've come out with over the last six months," said Kerr.
Apple's successes in the sciences is not just about the hardware. Mac OS X has played a large role converting scientists and will continue to do so. Kerr is a featured speaker at the upcoming Bio-IT World Conference & Expo where she will talk about the benefits of Mac OS X Tiger.
On May 18, Kerr will present "Apple and Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger: Energize Your Workflow," a session dedicated to "an overview of Mac OS X Tiger and its relevance to the drug discovery process." In addition to demonstrating such Tiger features as Spotlight, Kerr will also focus on Automator, another Tiger technology that helps streamline repetitive tasks, Xgrid-based distributed computing and other Apple software relevant to scientists and IT managers.
"Clearly with OS X [and its UNIX base] we stopped being a niche player," said Kerr. "That's one of the reasons we are seeing so much success in this market -- this is the market that gets that more than any other. This is also the market that benefits from that in a very practical way more than any other." |
| posted by Perimbean @ 3:15 PM |
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| Thursday, March 03, 2005 |
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Library Offers Audio Books on iPod shuffle to Patrons
by Bryan Chaffin, 12:15 PM EST, March 3rd, 2005
Checking out a new iPod now applies to more than shopping trips or web browsing. This week the South Huntington Public Library on Long Island, New York, became one of the first public libraries in the country to loan out iPod shuffles.
For the past three weeks, the library ran a pilot program using the portable MP3 devices to store audio books downloaded from the Apple iTunes Music Store. They started with six shuffles, and now are up to a total of 10. Each device holds a single audio book.
The few library patrons that have checked them out seem to have had positive experiences.
Lee Jacknow, 61, a retired professor of engineering who currently has one iPod shuffle checked out with the new John Grisham novel on it, said that having the iPod has changed the way he listens to audio books.
"It's changed the books on tape from a car-only experience to a bring-it-with-you experience," he said.
Jacknow said now he can listen to Grisham in his car, when he's working and even in bed.
Ken Weil, the library's director, said that the library had been looking for a way to share digital audio content with its patrons for some time, and that until recently, the existing iPods were far too expensive.
"It's the right product with the right price," he said. "We said that this is a great way of getting these out to the public."
The library currently offers several titles, including Grisham's The Broker and Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran.
"If patrons want a title that we own that we don't have on an iPod, they could request it," said Joe Latini, the library's assistant director.
Instead of having an entire book take up several CDs, one book fits within several MP3 files, usually ranging from 150 MB to 350 MB, he said. The library currently stocks both of the two versions of the iPod shuffle -- six of the 1-GB model, and four of the 512-MB model.
Weil acknowledged that some older patrons might have some difficulty adjusting to the new technology, but was hopeful that they would be able to catch on quickly, as was the case when libraries began to switch from paper card catalogs to electronic versions.
In addition, the library has the potential to save a great deal of money. Latini said that most titles on CDs cost the library around $75, whereas in MP3 format, they range from $15 to $25.
"In the end, obviously, we're literally saving money," he said. "The units are paying for themselves."
The library even throws in a cassette adapter and an FM transmitter for use in a car. Patrons do, however, have to provide their own headphones for sanitary reasons.
"I think it's a very clever use of the technology and I never thought about (using iPods for audio books) until I saw the sign at the library," Jacknow said. |
| posted by Perimbean @ 1:00 PM |
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