The second generation ipod Shuffle is now starting to ship. This is the new shuffle which is 1/2 the size of the original and has the innovative built-in clip.
*Update - The Shuffle will be available starting on Friday 01 November 2006.
Apple has released Boot Camp Beta 1.1.2.
This version includes:
- Support for the latest Intel-based Macintosh computers
- Easier partitioning using presets for popular sizes
- Ability to install Windows XP on any internal disk
- Support for built-in iSight cameras
- Support for built-in microphones
- Support for the Apple USB Modem
- Trackpad scrolling and right-click support on Apple Laptops
- Improved Apple keyboard support including Delete, PrintScreen, NumLock, and ScrollLock keys
- Improved International Apple keyboard support
Apple upgraded the MacBook Pro with 64-bit Core 2 Duo chips that perform up to 39 percent faster than the previous MacBook Pro.
Everything else is the about the same except the hard drive capacity and SuperDrive speeds have been bumped to 120GB and 6x, respectively, for the 15-inch models and 160GB and 8x for the 17-inch. In addition, Apple has re-included a FireWire 800 port which was missing in the transistion from PowerBooks to MacBook Pros.
Pricing remains the same: $1,999 (15-inch, 2.16GHz), $2,499 (15-inch 2.33GHz), $2,799 (17-inch, 2.33GHz).
The iPod is only five years old? Google Earth may show evidence that the iPod's roots go farther back than even Steve Jobs could imagine!
Thanks Boing Boing.
The iPod is 5 years old today (23 October). I remember my first iPod like it was yesterday. I received my annual bonus and a colleague and I rushed down to the local MicroCenter (there were no Apple Stores in Atlanta then) and picked one up.
$399 and 5GB. It's come a long way. There is a part of me that wishes I hadn't sold that first generation iPod. What a clunky classic. The scroll wheel that actually scrolled, the buttons in a circle around it, and that low-res greyscale LCD screen.
But boy did it reignite my love of music. At that point I had been married for about 5 years and was in the midsts of having our first child. As those of you know, that is all consuming and certainly a priority over everything else. But the iPod made its way into the hectic schedule in a way that was not only easy, but fun too.
I'm now on my 5th generation iPod with video and couldn't imagine life without it.
Wired has a nice, if short, article on how the iPod came to be.
Apple is looking good. All the numbers seem to keep skyrocketing, but what is intriguing to me is that it is now estimated that Apple has 5.8 percent of the computer market compared to 4.3 percent a year ago. The halo effect does seem to be working.
Also, AP has a review of the new line of iPods. Overall, it's very positive, particularly for the nano. He had some complaints about the video iPods though.
Some folks have complained about the heat generated by their MacBook, MacBook Pro or Mac Mini.
Eidac now has a new application which will let you control the speed of the fan(s). I'm using it now and it works like a charm. Play around with the speed to find that nice balance of sound and heat.
Steve Jobs is interviewed for Newsweek magazine and talks about how he doesn't believe the iPod will lose its momentum anytime soon as well as his thoughts on consumer electronics.
Oh yeah, and he uses a really bad analogy to describe it.
:-)
Now you can get your favorite PBS programs via iTunes. I mean, who doesn't want to hand over their $300 iPod to their kids so they can watch episodes of Arthur and Cyberchase they've seen thirteen times already?
This certainly isn't revolutionary news except the fact that one of the programs, the excellent Nova, is being priced much higher at $7.99 than the typical TV episode at $1.99. Nova isn't typical, which likely explains it according to Macworld. Nonetheless, it shows Apple is willing to play with the numbers for the sake of quality.
Related: Below I've posted a few links to original podcasts from the crew at Iowa Public Television. I have connections.
Dantastic You Dos
Market to Market: Market Analysis
Market to Market: Market Plus
Stop, you're embarrassing it.
iPod nano looks awfully purty in her new red dress. It's all for a good cause ... a cool new color in the nano lineup. I kid. The good cause is (Product) Red, which is designed to capture a bit of the philanthropic spirit from everyday consumers buying products from Apple, Gap, Motorola, etc. to benefit the Global Fund to help fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. Not surprisingly, Bono had something to do with it. And despite Oprah's involvement, it's a good thing. Ten bucks of every nano purchased will go to the Global Fund. It doesn't sound like much, but I assure you, when you're selling millions of these things, it'll add up quickly.
Purchase online or at Apple retail stores.
AppleInsider has some hands-on experience with a pre-production Zune. Summary: A respectable contender, but still falls short. Only time will tell....
:-)
Okay - I've stopped posting rumors up here for the most part, and this will likely be another rumor, but the fact that the good folks at Engadget are reporting it give it some validity.
Only time will tell...
1. Counselor
2. Better Results (guest-starring Gisele Bündchen)
3. Self Pity
"Better Results" is pretty funny. So is Self Pity. Alright fine, they're all pretty funny.
Okay, it's one thing when Wal*Mart starts to whine, but now Target?
Target is saying they'll have to "rethink their investment in the DVD business" if online download pricing doesn't level out with DVD sales.
Um, hello people. If I am hogging up my precious bandwidth for 30-60 minutes to download a movie at "almost DVD" quality, no packaging, no bonus material, no ability to burn it onto a real DVD and all sorts of other limitations, it BETTER be cheaper than a real DVD.
Update: Motley Fool has an excellent rebuttal that Hollywood should send Wal*Mart and Target:
Dear Wal-Mart and/or Target,
Congratulations! We concede to your demands. You can now have the same wholesale pricing as our digital downloading partners do. Please keep in mind that you will be required to burn your purchases for your eventual customers and provide the clamshell with original artwork. The disc will contain just the movie at a feasible streamed compression quality. You will pay us immediately. Naturally you will swallow any returns.
It has been a pleasure doing business with you. Let us know if you would like to revert to the old pricing and product specs in order to hold off your obsolescence for a few years longer.
Your friend,
Hollywood
MP3.com founder Michael Robertson predicts that Microsoft's Zune will be the biggest flop of 2007.
We'll check back a year from now...
iLounge.com has a great article that all new buyers of Apple products should read.
Microsoft's iPod-killer the Zune's price was announced today. A shocking $249. Hmmmm....what is the price of the iPod again? Hmmmm...I wonder.
MacsimumNews.com is reporting that Wal*Mart is threatening to retaliate against movie studios who work with Apple.
**UpdateWal*Mart claims these stories are not true and that they are not threatening movie studios. Yeah, right.
Apple has lowered prices on refurbished iPods. I've always been a big fan of refurbished items and have rarely if ever had a problem with one.
60 GB iPod video for just $229? That's $170 off the original price!
With the new 1.2 iPod updater the 5th generation iPod gets nearly everything the new 5.5 iPod gets with some notable and important differences.
5th Generation iPods updated with 1.2 have the quick scroll feature, gapless playback, game support, 640x480 video resolution, iTS movies, new brightness control.
5.5 iPods offer all of the above, plus a 60% brighter display, longer battery life (3.5 video hours for 30GB, 6.5 video hours for 80GB), more storage for the high end model (80GB vs 60GB), new ear buds and the search-by-letter enhancement.
If I did a ton of cross-Atlantic travel, I'd really want the new iPod for the battery life. I have 8GB free on my 60GB iPod, so I'm not desperate for extra space (yet) and as cool as the search feature is, I can live without it for a while. I'm waiting for the 6th generation iPod anyway.
In iTunes 7 if you want to make a song gapless with another, highlight the song and select Get Info. In the options tab select "Part of a gapless album".
AppleDefects.com is providing a unique way to fix iPod scratches with a CD/DVD scratch kit. I prefer Brasso myself.
My favorite music blog (stereogum) was invited to a special preview event of Microsoft's Zune - the next supposed iPod killer. Scott does an excellent job of analyzing what is right and wrong about Zune.
What's definitely wrong? Brown. Jesus, brown. What the hell are they thinking?! And what's definitely right? Well, close to right is the capability to share music for three days or three plays, whichever occurs first. That's really the only new feature that Zune offers that intrigues me in the least. It would be cool when I'm out drinking with my buds talking music to share this easily, but it simply is not enough. They sure have a hell of a lot of resources to throw at this thing, but brown ain't going to kill the king.
Not sure if you caught it, but Steve did not wear his usual uniform of a black turtleneck and jeans. The jeans were still there, but the turtleneck was replaced with a black button-down shirt. The times, they are a-changin'.
iTunes 7 -
- "iTunes Music Store" has quietly changed to "iTunes Store".
- New "Skip Count" view option shows you how many times you've skipped a song.
- Transfer songs from your iPod to a 2nd authorized computer.
- By god, gapless works. Thank the maker. This has been too long coming. However, it is not compatible with crossfade playback, meaning if you have crossfade playback on, it crossfades AND gapless plays the songs. Annoying. Gapless songs should be ignored in crossfade.
- CoverFlow is awesome. Very slick.
- iPod preferences easier than ever with more information than ever.
iPod nano -
- Saw them today at my local Apple Store. Wow - very (very!) bright. Neon-hurt-your-eyes-neon. Pink is hot pink. Green and blue look good though.
- Cool packaging.
24" iMac -
- WOW. I mean WOW. Gotta have one of these. Only 6 inches shy of the incredible 30" display. This is an awesome computer.
I don't know why anybody would want to make a major tech announcement on the same day as Apple, but NBC did just that. Welcome NBBC. NBC is the latest to try to cash into the YouTube craze. With everybody doing online video these days, it makes me wonder how much better Apple could make it if they ever decided to do something similar (think video iMixes). Until then, you'll just have to be content with music videos, TV shows, and movies on your iPod.
iTunes 7 is now available for free download. This is a first major overhaul of iTunes in some time. Lots of new features and so far all rock-solid in my short experience with it.
Of course the major (expected) announcement is movies. You can now download movies in near-DVD quality from Walt Disney, Touchstone, Miramax and Pixar. 75 movies are now available with more being added all the time. New releases during pre-order and the first week of release are $12.99, $14.99 after the first week. Most library titles are $9.99. Movies and TV shows' resolution are improved 4x to 640x480 resolution. People with 5-6 megabit broadband (cable modem) can download a movie in about a 1/2 hour.
On to the interface. The source menu is new and better organized. Instead of a library bucket, it is now organized by media type. The new device section shows your connected iPod and CDs. Highlight your iPod and you can now fully control preferences in the main window. The interface is really nicely done and makes so much more sense than how you previously managed iPod preferences.
There are two new views - album and coverflow. Album view organizes your song list by album with the album art. Coverflow is really slick and enables you to quickly scroll through your album art. I think it will be a fantastic way to discover music that might be forgotten. It's a much more visible way to experience music selection. To accompany this, iTunes will find and download free album art. Coverflow also works with TV and Movies.
To me the most important new feature is gapless playback. Experience two songs that were meant to flow seamlessly together without the annoying 1 second gap.
There are lots of other nice tweaks here and there. Download it today.
I'll admit that I've never really liked the iPod Shuffle. Every single time I've tried to play with it at the Apple Store I've never been able to get it to work. Yes, I'm sure it's a problem between the ear buds, but nonetheless it never works for me.
Anyway, today Apple announced the new iPod Shuffle. It looks much better than the first version. Bathed in annodized aluminum, its most impressive feature is the built-in clip. Now I finally get it. I can seriously see getting one of these for my less-than-consistent workouts.
Pre-order yours today for only $79.
In perhaps the most disappointing announcement today was the refreshed iPods. Same screen size, same profile, same concept. I was really hoping for the much-rumored "true" video iPod. Perhaps another day. This is a true refresh; Apple still refers to the "new" iPods as "5th generation". Rumors have it that the 6th generation is on track for Q1 2007.
The screen is 60% brighter than the current model, has twice the battery power for video, enhanced ear buds and has some new interface features.
The most important and significant feature is gapless playback. Finally you can listen to The Wall without that annoying gap between songs. iTunes is also now gapless.
Included with gapless playback is the ability to purchase, download and play enhanced games. Tetris, Pac-Man, Mahjong and others for only $4.99. I enjoy playing solitare, brick and parachute, but they get old fast. The new games look great. These are available for the new iPods as well as all 5th generation iPods.
You can now also search for songs by scrolling in letters in a new search interface. I like the idea. Also, as you scroll through your list the letter you are scrolling through will appear. Nice and much-needed tweaks to the interface.
Overall a decent refresh, but not what I or many people were hoping for. The 30GB model is now more affordable at $249 and the top-of-the-line 80GB model (up from 60GB) is $349.
As expected, the iPod nano line was updated today with 2x higher capacities, a thinner (is that really possible) design, and most importantly in colors!
At first glance, they look suspiciously like iPod minis - the colors, the rounded edges, the clickwheel. Just imagine that old-school iPod nano as thin as a couple credit cards and as wide as a thumb and a half.
The 2GB model comes only in silver and is $149. The 4GB model comes in silver, blue, pink and green for $199. The 8GB model comes only in black for $249.
Among the various announcements today, the one that was most interesting is the iTV set top box. The iTV (working name) will enable you to stream all your video, movies, music, podcasts, photos and more to your TV wirelessly from iTunes on your Mac or PC. About the same diameter as the Mac Mini, but half the thickness, it sports the latest HDMI connectivity along with component video, analog and optical audio. It also includes ethernet and USB ports.
Available in Q1 2007, it will be priced at $299, more than reasonable. Video from the new iTunes 7 is at near-DVD quality and will only get better as compression and broadband technologies improve. I'm pretty sure this will be on my list of must-haves.
In addition to the new iMacs, Apple also announced upgrades to the Mac Mini. Now sporting new Core Duo processors, upgrade software bundle and expanded upgrade options. These are really cool machines. The call centers of my company use these to run the front-end GUI of our mainframe reservation system.
Apple upgraded the iMac this week. In addition to new Core 2 Duo chips, they added an awesome 24-inch iMac. Not only is it obviously bigger, but for the first time it sports a FireWire 800 port. This makes it a serious contender for professionals who need speedy external storage.
The new line is also about 1.5 times faster than the previous version and about 6 times faster than my iMac G5.
Could it be that Apple has more on its mind than iTunes movies? Macworld speculates how our digital world might change on September 12.
Previously...
AppleInsider.com is reporting an analyst's view of the pending Apple iPhone. The analyst has surprising details about the device.
Engadget and AppleInsider are reporting that Apple will be holding one of its infamous special events on September 12. New iPod? iTunes Movies service? You'll just have to wait and see. AppleInsider offers the most details with $14.99 new releases and $9.99 for older movies. Wal*Mart is up to its evil ways as well. Don't shop at Wal*Mart. Shop at Target instead. But Wal*Mart does have cheap diapers. But I digress.
UPDATE: Apple indeed sent invites to the media today stating "It's Showtime". How clever and cute. Apple stock is up $3.10 today.
The 60-day trial of Codeweavers is now available. Codeweavers enables you to run Windows software on your Intel-based Mac. Have Parallels you say? Installed Boot Camp have you? Well, that's all nice and well, but do you really want to run Windows?
Codeweavers lets you run selected Windows-based software without Windows! And for the skeptics, you can download the beta for free and try it out.
PodBuffet is in development. If you've ever wanted to download tunes from iTunes but you happen to be away from home and stuck in some godawful airport, this might be the best way to get spankin' new tunage straight to your iPod so you can enjoy while you're traveling rather than waiting to get home. I like it.
SpiralFrog.com will be offering free music for download. This advertising-supported site will offer songs in crappy DRM'd WMA format which means 85% of music devices out there (aka iPods) won't be able to play it. You can listen to music via a special player on your computer and can only sync to 2 "PlaysForSure" devices. Plus, you have to log onto the service at least once a month to view ads otherwise your music will stop playing.
Apparently the founders of SpiralFrog have completely forgotten about the Dotcom bubble burst. FreePC anyone?
First Al Gore, then Disney, and now Eric Schmidt? The CEO of Google joins Apple's board today. Don't believe Google at least has the potential of being evil? Read their privacy statement. Look at what you're agreeing to when you download and use Google Desktop.
Next we'll be hearing how Apple has partnered with Wal*Mart.
I guess if they topple the evil Microsoft it will be worth it. Or not.
Apple has released new Get A Mac ads this week. I think these are the best yet. They actually show more of the Apple product instead of just concepts. "Angel/Devil" highlights the photo book you can make with iPhoto and "Accident" highlights the MagSafe connector on MacBooks. The others stick to more conceptual reasons to Get A Mac. I just like how you can see the actors just having a lot of fun with it.
Microsoft recently filed necessary paperwork for their new Zune MP3/Video/Photo device. The filing offers further features of the device some of which are quite interesting.
DJ mode - transmit music, photos and videos wirelessly to up to 4 nearby users.
Share content - send promotional copies of songs, playlists, etc. to a nearby user. If the user likes the song, they can purchase it from the Zune store.
Built-in FM radio - big whoop - I've never understood why this is such a desired feature.
30 GB hard drive.
I like the DJ/Share mode, although I wonder how much it would be used. I could certainly see people in a younger demographic than me sharing their music with friends, etc.
It looks like Microsoft finally gets that it is not about the device itself, but about the overall experience. If they can make that experience better than the iPod, they have a chance. I can see the DJ/Share features being a real plus in this web 2.0 world. But let's keep in mind that Microsoft really isn't that good with "experience".
The good folks over at Engadget are reporting that their new in-car system will be compatible with an upcoming Bluetooth iPod adapter.
One thing I missed while reading about the settlement between Apple and Creative is that Creative will be releasing "Made for iPod" accessories later this year. Also, the settlement essentially amounts to a license for Creative's patent. The bottom line for Apple is that some of the $100 million may be recouped if Creative is successful in licensing the patent to other manufacturers.
It's good to see even more competition in the iPod accessory biz. It seems prices have been escalating while quality and variety remain stagnant. Hopefully this will change things. As for the music interface patent, I've never been too sold on it, particularly when you have a full 60gb iPod. It's pretty unruly with that much music unless you make creative use of smart playlists courtesy of iTunes. As always, what makes the iPod a huge success is the whole package.
Dell was the first to swallow the hard pill of recalling Sony's shoddy batteries, and now our beloved Apple has been forced to do the same. 1.8 million batteries are being recalled, with the iBook G4 and the PowerBook G4 being the only products affected.
Macworld saw it coming.
This looks good. Elgato is releasing EyeTV Hybrid, which will allow your Mac to receive and record analog and digital TV via a slick USB stick. It's not shipping until September and it'll cost you $150, but if you have one too many TV sets in your house and you're looking to make your Mac a true media center, this could be what you need.
Thanks, Uncrate.
Dell submits to the might of the iPod by officially discontinuing the DJ Ditty -- I can't even type that without laughing at what a terrible name Dell came up with. It follows the demise of the hard-drive based DJ line that Dell discontinued in January. Could Dell be having a worse year?
Apple announced today that they have settled 5 patent lawsuits with Korean-based Creative for $100 million.
Okay, maybe not killer, but I'm not sure what it is about these SanDisk MP3 Players, but I kinda like them. Don't get me wrong - I'll never give up my iPod, but I wouldn't point, laugh and throw things at someone who bought one.
The SanDisk e280 competes directly with the iPod nano, but has twice as much storage space, a larger screen, and is only slightly thicker than the nano.
SanDisk has actually gained marketshare lately - not at Apple's expense, but at Creative's and others.
Major recording artists that cannot be found on iTunes:
The Beatles
Garth Brooks
Kid Rock
Led ZeppelinMetallica
Radiohead
Bob Seger
Metallica caved last month and it looks like Kid Rock and Seger are on the verge. I would predict The Beatles and Brooks to be the last ones to give in. With Apple v. Apple, a miracle agreement would have to be forged to break The Beatles' online drought. It'll take some kind of marketing blitz to make it worthwhile. 30th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's is next year -- I'm just saying. Brooks is in bed with Wal-mart but doesn't even make his music available on their iTunes rival service. Most of the other artists claim album integrity and fault iTunes for focusing only on single tunes. Weak argument in my opinion. I can't imagine Kid Rock can sustain a full album's worth of good material anyway!
Engadget is reporting that the Lions Gate Film CEO announced that they signed a deal with iTunes for video distribution and that it should be launched by the end of the year.
If you're bored or uninspired by the templates Apple includes in iWeb, check out the templates over at iLifeStuff.com. Templates are $12.99 each or $39.99 for all.
Themes include Pink, Chocolate, Water, Redmodern, Light, Juice and more.
AppleInsider has more on the oft-rumored iPod mobile phone. Evidently Jobs has been leaking the info this time. That's a stretch I think.
Thanks to Engadget for the pic.
In what is quite possibly the most awesome and innovative use for sudden motion sensors, MacSaber turns your MacBook or MacBook Pro into a light saber. Start the program and wave your MacBook around and the sweet sounds of a badass light saber emit from your MacBook. Watch some weirdo demo the software.
Speck Products has released the cool FlipSkin case for the 5th Generation iPod. Its innovation is the flip stand. The two-tone rubberized shell and plastic screen protector keeps your iPod safe from most elements. Priced at a reasonable $34.95.
More video on iTunes: CNN and Cartoon Network. Now there are over 150 TV shows available through iTunes.
Apple announced today that GM, Ford and Mazda will integrate the iPod into their new vehicles.
And they gave Apple a hard time about the early Newton handwriting recognition 10 years ago...
Hey! You rammed your iPod into my Legos! Hey! You rammed your Legos into my iPod!
What could be better than Legos or the iPod? How about a combination of both! PodBrix offers Legos inspired by the iPod ad campaign. Or is the other way around?
Not only is there an iPod made of Legos, but there is a Lego figure in the likeness of Steve Jobs doing one of his patented keynote presentations. Very cool.
Now they've got an extremely limited run recreating Apple Computer's famous 1984 Superbowl Commercial. But hurry - there's only 100 sets offered and after they sell out, they're never to be made available again.
Apple has just added shows from Warner Brothers Television and E! Television including Friends, Babylon 5, The Jetsons, Talk Soup and much much more.
Apple says they build iPods to last 4 years. That makes one iPod year worth 20.75 human years. So the average human should purchase at least 20 iPods during their lifetime.
The iPod is 5 years old this year.
**Update** The Apple spokesperson was misquoted. Apple iPods are built to last "for years", not "four years". Darn liberal press. :-)
The UK version of CNET has an interesting battle between the 10 year-old Apple Newton and the newborn Samsung Q1 UMPC. The Newton beats the Samsung in a close battle...
Playing that action-packed first-person shooter and love the soundtrack? Left Behind Games will be integrating the iTunes Music Store into their games.
Apple recently filed for a trademark in Japan for the "DOPOD". Could be something to throw us Apple fanatics off, but buried in the trademark filing is a description of a device that would be a “motion picture apparatus, mobile/video/smart phones, internet e-mail, paging and being a video game machine.” It also includes wireless access to media such as music & video. Apple's next generation iPod or first generation true video Pod is anxiously awaited.
The wireless Mighty Mouse is finally here. Apple has upgraded their first multi-button mouse to bluetooth wireless. I was absolutely dumbfounded that they would release a wired mouse without a wireless version. But it's finally here.
The Mighty Mouse is nice. Might not be the best bluetooth mouse out there, but it's one of the most attractive.
Here's a great rundown of the iPod timeline through the current (5th) generation. Ah, memories.
Microsoft today confirmed they are indeed buiding "music and entertainment devices that are expected to compete with the iPod". They will be called "Zune". Really rolls off the tongue. Not. Can't wait to see what they come up with.
ThinkSecret.com is reporting that Steve Jobs will announce iTunes movie rentals. Rumors always are plentiful this close to WWDC (the Apple World Wide Developers' Conference).
This would certainly be an interesting model - downloadable rentals. Not sure how I feel about this yet. My two concerns with the whole movie download model is time and quality. When I watch a movie I want as close to a real movie experience that I can afford. That means widescreen and DVD quality. I'm having a hard time imagining a movie at DVD quality taking less than at least an hour to download. Probably not something that will be practical for me, especially for movies I want to own. However, I'm probably willing to sacrifice some quality for convenience for movies I want to rent.
I doubt that they will announce this during the WWDC. I could rather see Apple announcing this at a special event or something. I think the focus at WWDC will continue to be Mac OS 10.5 - Leopard. I'm not the only one who thinks so. Although you never know - no one expected Intel-based Macs back in January either.
Macsimum News is reporting that nVidia will supply Apple with the video chip for the next generation video iPod.
Another supposed iPod killer to be released, this time by Microsoft. Good luck. Microsoft just can't get anything right lately. No wonder Gates wants out.
UPDATE: Is this supposed to kill the iPod?! Bwa ha ha hah!!! Imitation is, so they say, the sincerest form of flattery. (picture via)
WARNING: Do not mow your lawn in a lightning storm, dumbass, regardless of whether you're listening to your iPod or not!
I'm sure it's not the first and I'm sure it won't be the last. Here are some fairly amusing parodies of the new Mac/PC ads:
One of the most disappointing (and most complained about) limitations of iTunes is the inevitable split-second gap between tunes on an album that were created to be played seamlessly. I mean, how the hell do you really enjoy Abbey Road or The Wall with these annoying little gaps?! Apple's over-emphasis on single tracks is a real downer for fans of the album.
You could always merge the tunes into one larger file (which can be done through iTunes if they are consecutive and you choose to do so before importing them from a CD - phew), but that is really only half the problem. There are times when you might just want to listen to one of the tunes without the others. Through the magic of Apple Scripts, Doug Adams offers a solution: Join Together. The script will join your selected tracks together, then, using the included Apple ChapterTool application, it will "chapterize" the tune so you can control what you want to listen to and how you want to listen to it. Very cool. Haven't tried it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. Of course, I have no idea what impact it has on play count and other such features that some can't live without, but until Apple comes up with a better solution, that'll do, pig.
The suggestion is courtesy of iLounge's new free iPod book, which you can download here. It's a great and almost required resource for iPod and iTunes users.
Update: The latest (2006) iPod Updater & version of iTunes (7.0) is now gapless!!
Want to be able to listen to your iPod in style? Want that luscious warm analogue sound combined with the ease of use of digital technology? We present the Fatman iTube Valve Dock.Interesting, yet not the most attractive dock I've seen. The logo on the front is obnoxious, but the tube amp sure is cool. I'd love to hear how it sounds.
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple may soon be offering songs in ALC (Apple Lossless Codec). What is ALC you ask? It is an encoding method which produces a song without any compression. It results in a song with the quality exactly that of the original CD.
This is the best retro iPod accessory yet. Play it way-old school with your very own iPod gramophone. Looks to be in limited production so you're not going to find this at CompUSA.
The MicroMemoDigital Audio Recorder from XtremeMac enables you to instantly record in high fidelity 16 bit stereo sound.
Unlike other iPod recorders out there, this one has an innovative microphone and speaker combination. Record memos, meetings, classes or a roaming podcast in clean, crisp, environmentally-safe digital audio.
Coca Cola is shutting down its online music store in the UK, www.mycokemusic.com due to substantial market share loss to Apple's iTunes.
Apple is in active negotiations with major movie studios to offer feature-length releases on iTunes. It is certainly the natural progression of things and would be a perfect marketing tie-in to the release of the long-awaited and much-rumored true video iPod. I love the idea of making all movies $9.99, but I have a feeling the studios will win this battle.
China Post Online has a story about Hon Hai (iPod manufacturer - one of many) revealing in their annual meeting that Apple is about to unveil the next generation of iPod, utilizing a "none touch" interface.
What this means is anyone's guess, but could allude to a voice-activated iPod. Apple recently filed for a patent for an audio interface.
Between this and recent allegations of factory conditions, I don't think Hon Hai will be an iPod manufacturer much longer.
For those interested in the intriguging iPod/Nike Sport Kit, you can now pre-order. For $29 it seems like a good deal and a very interesting concept. I especially like the sync feature which lets you analyze your performace, set goals, etc.
Forbes online is reporting Apple will eventually come out with a cell phone, but nothing is imminent.
Something I had not heard before is that anyone entering the cell phone market has to register with the FCC at least 3 months prior to a product launch. So don't expect to see the iPhone anytime soon.
I think it has something to do with Apple pie, but I'm not really sure.
Apple computer is being targeted by several European countries including Norway, Sweden and the UK to remove their copy protection scheme (DRM or Digital Rights Management for those in the know) and make iTunes inter-operable with competing MP3 players.
There have also been some consumer protests, but my guess is that the government actions and "consumers" are really organized by competing companies who haven't been able to actually offer a product that even competes with the iPod. And no 2poppy, I am not a conspiratorialist.
What is Apple going to do? I hope they pull out of the markets. The consumer support FOR Apple & iTunes will far outweigh those against. That would show those no-good politicians. Yeah.
Somebody help me why people are supposedly anti-DRM. Without DRM the record companies would never have gone along with iTunes (and Rhapsody, Napster, etc.). What is wrong with protecting the rights of artists and their evil, greedy record companies. I can see customers wanting a choice in MP3 players, which they do. They can buy any ol' crappy Creative or Samsung or Sony MP3 player and load up any old song onto it. Just not ones bought from iTunes (unless you burn the song to a CD then import it into whatever crappy software those crappy players come with).
I haven't yet tried this, but I am tempted. iTunify is the "missing tools for iTunes".
With iTunify you can: find duplicate tracks; find and replace in I3 tags; change the case of ID3 tags; exchange ID3 tags; import and export artwork; import and export ID3 tags; toggle the bookmarkability of AAC tracks; remove “dead tracks” from the library; remove checked tracks from the library; remove unchecked tracks from the library; and invert check marks. You can do all this without leaving iTunes. iTunify also comes with a variety of pre-written templates. The software is a Universal Binary product, so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.
In what I think is a first, the iLuv Video Dock docks your 30GB or 60GB iPod with video to play videos on a spacious 7-inch screen.
For the cost of $249 USD, you get the dock, carrying case, 3 power sources (outlet, car & battery), headphones, remote, cables, and straps for your car headrest. And if that's not all, it also plays DVD, VCD, Audio CD and MP3 CDs. Sounds like a great value, assuming the screen is bright and sharp.
I could especially see the value if you took a lot of long road trips with the kids - just load up your iPod with a couple of dozen movies and not have to worry about keeping track of DVDs all over the car.
New ads that have been released under the Apple "Get A Mac" campaign. The new ads feature "fun stuff", "out of the box" and "Macs are PCs Too"; the later of which talks about running Windows on a Mac.
The ads have not been posted on Apple.com yet, but of course you can find them on YouTube:
Fun Stuff
Out of the Box
Macs are PCs Too
Update: Apple just updated their site with the new ads.
According to a report by the British Sunday paper "The Mail", iPods are made in Chinese concentration camps where workers are only fed gruel and paid only 1 penny per year.
Okay, a bit of an exaggeration.
As does thousands of other companies, Apple manufactures some of their products in China. I'm not necessarily advocating it - I'm all for humane treatment and keeping jobs in the US - but it does allow us fat, lazy Americans the ability to purchase goods at extremely low prices.
And really, if I have a choice between cheap goods and humane treatment, you know which one I'm rootin' for.
**Update** Apple is investigating the allegations of conditions for iPod manufacturers. Apple vows to uphold its code of conduct - “suppliers must pay wages, benefits, and overtime to workers in accordance with applicable laws, including those related to minimum wages, overtime, hours, and legally mandated benefits. Suppliers may not discriminate based on race, color, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or marital status. The basis on which workers are being paid must be clearly conveyed to them in a timely manner.”.
Motorola's ultra-thin and ultra-popular RAZR phone is coming to the U.S. with iTunes.
The RAZR V3i will initially be available only through Cingular. As with previous iTunes phones, it will be limited to 100 song storage. It will feature a 1.23 megapixel digital camera and micro SD storage.
Any generation X computer geek fondly remembers the Commodore 64. LOAD"*",8,1 is something that is forever stuck in your mind, along with the 1541 disk drive, 300 baud modem and datasette tape drive. I fondly remember my brother (2poppy) and I staying up until all hours of the night programming Mad Libs in basic.
Now there's a site for the Commodore 64 dedicated to Apple users - Think Commodore. Find emulators, equipment, information and more.10 PRINT "WWW.THINKCOMMODORE.COM"
20 GOTO 10
RUN
iSquint will convert just about any video for transfer to your iPod with video. The best part? It's absolutely free. The makers claim it is significantly faster than using QuickTime Pro.
Features:
College students get a free iPod when they purchase a new MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Power Mac G5. Offer not valid with Mac Minis. The rebate is good for up to $179, so you can get anything from a iPod Shuffle to a 2 GB iPod nano. You can also buy a the other iPods, but you'll still only get $179 back. Not a bad deal.
AppleInsider is reporting that Best Buy may expand its Mac pilot program. Best Buy is the number one consumer electronics retailer in the US. It has been testing Mac sales at seven of its stores in California. If it proves to be a hit, Best Buy is prepared to expand rapidly.
This would give Apple even more reach for consumers to get their hands on a Mac. Best Buy sells iPods and to a much lesser extent Mac Minis, but for anything else you'll need to find a CompUSA (puke) or Apple store. Not everyone is blessed with three Apple stores in their city (jealous?).
For the low-low price of $269, you too can look like Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge. The myvu personal media viewer will enable you to view videos from your iPod. According to the company, you can wear these, watch a video and walk around. There's a good review of the device at Yahoo!.
In a sign of just how freakin' popular the iPod is, college students find that iPods are more "in" than beer. Now I admit I probably have an unhealthy relationship with my iPod (and Macs), but good beer is still more important. :-)
The U2 iPod is back! Based on the fifth-generation iPod, the new 30GB U2 iPod sports the same black case with red clickwheel. Buyers will receive a coupon to download an exclusive 30 minutes of U2 video content from the iTunes music store.
Apple Certified iPod nano 2 GB only $169, while supplies last. Qualifies for free ground shipping.
That's a $30 savings on a brand new one. I'm a big fan of refurbished products. Get a like-new product for a great price.
Equinux software has released CoverScout. CoverScout will search Amazon, Google, and the iTunes Music Store for album art. Manage the art, search multiple albums or songs, etc. You'll be able to quickly see which music has art and which doesn't. It will even help you find that rare album art. Buy before July 1 and get it for only $15.95 USD.
