"iCon" explores creation of iPod, iTunes

While Apple CEO Steve Jobs was "gunning down perfectly viable products with Billy-the-Kid abandon," he recognized the need for "something stunningly new to revitalise Apple." He was looking for something that held the promise of becoming "the next big thing." That next big thing was the iPod, according to "iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business." The book chronicles the creation of the iPod from the acquisition of SoundJam, to the initial technological hurdles, all the way to first iPod production run. When it came time to launch the iTunes Music Store, "the toughest part hadn't been the technology but the co-operation of Sony, Warner, Universal, EMI and BMG."

CD conversion service begins selling iPods

RipDigital, a CD-to-MP3 conversion service, today announced that it is selling a variety of iPods pre-loaded with customers' CD collections in time for Father's Day. "By combining the leading digital music player and leading CD conversion service, RipDigital has created the easiest and fastest way to make the jump to digital music." RipDigital takes customers' CDs, encodes them as MP3s, and uploads them to the customer's iPod. Today's announcement takes the service one step further by selling new iPods to customers who don't already own one. "Instead of spending this summer with a to-do-list that still includes 'convert CD collection' on it or 'get a new iPod', let us help you with both in one shot." The service costs approximately $1 per album.

UK superstores to sell iPods, electronics

Tesco, a UK supermarket chain, will start selling iPods as part of its expansion into the digital goods market. It is part of Tesco’s plans for its non-food sector which last year saw a 17% sales increase, with home entertainment sales up 20%. Digital products from the "best known brands" such as Apple, Sony, Creative, Phillips, Kodak, Olympus and Canon will go on sale in Tesco’s larger stores across the UK. Its MP3 players range includes the Apple iPod Shuffle and the Creative Zen Micro. The UK’s lucrative MP3 market grew by 400 percent last year and is expected to double in 2005, the retailer said. Shoppers can also download music online at Tesco.com.

Analyst: iPod success is in "initial phase"

In a research note published this morning, analyst Steven Fortuna of Prudential Financial mentions that 63% of all iPods sold were in the last two quarters, suggesting that the iPod’s success is in its initial phase. Apple does not consider subscription-based music downloads as a threat to the iTunes/iPod success, the analyst said. According to Prudential, the iPod market is expanding at present, with iPod accounting for 76% of all MP3 players sold in the US. Fortuna maintains his "overweight" rating on Apple. The target price is set to $55 a share.

Adding music players to cellphones won't kill iPod

While Bill Gates doubts the future of the iPod, the Wall Street Journal reports that several obstacles lie ahead for any company that hopes to "push Steve Jobs & Co. off the top of the digital-music heap." The Microsoft chairman told a German newspaper, "I don't think the success of the iPod can continue in the long term, however good Apple may be,[...] Apple was once extremely strong with its Macintosh and graphic user interface, like with the iPod today, and then lost its position." While cellphones may ultimately provide the strongest competition to Apple's iPod, "it's a big leap of faith to think handset makers can approach the iPod's ease of use with a jack-of-all-trades device," reporters Tim Hanrahan and Jason Fry write. "Apple's competitors haven't managed [to best Apple] with their standalone devices, and they've had years to try."

U2, Bono proud of iPod/iTunes commercial

In an interview published by the Chicago Tribune, U2's Bono discusses the use of his band's songs in commercials. Bono said he is proud of the iPod television ad featuring "Vertigo," the first single from U2's newest album. "We looked at the iPod commercial as a rock video. We chose the director.[...] I'm proud of the commercial, I'm proud of the association." Bono describes turning down $23 million for a commercial once: "We thought we could do a lot of good with that money. Give it away. But if a show is a little off, and there's a hole, that's the one song we can guarantee that God will walk through the room as soon as we play it. So the idea that when we played it, people would go, 'That's the such-and-such' commercial,' we couldn't live with it." Bono also said the iPod commercial was a good way to promote the new album. "We thought, how are we going to get our single off in the days when rock music is niche?"

Monster Cable ships iCruze iPod car connector

Monster Cable yesterday reported that iCruze, its kit that connects an iPod directly to a car’s stereo, is now shipping and available via multiple dealers nationwide (see January announcement). Monster iCruze provides a way for a “direct connection” to most car audio systems. By acting as a virtual CD Changer, existing OEM radio/CD controls (including steering wheel controls) can access different playlists and songs. As an additional benefit, iCruze charges the iPod while driving. The cost of the main iCruze unit is $250. The optional display for iCruze is $100. Additional interface connecting cables that match specific car models may also be required, which range in price from $30 to $160 depending on the complexity of the OEM stereo. Monster also announced that it has recently reached an agreement with MobileToys Incorporated to become Monster’s National Service Provider for iCruze. Alternatively, iCruze can be self installed by experienced users.

iTunes for Windows users struggle with protected CDs

Dave Matthews Band fans report difficulty copying the group's latest album to iTunes for Windows. The problem is with the copy protection technology used on the disc. The issue is not limited to the Dave Matthews' "Stand Up" album, but affects works from other artists as well. One fan contacted the copyright company that makes the CD protection technology and received a response detailing how to get around the protection. The company says it has already contacted Apple about the problem: "An easier and more acceptable solution requires cooperation from Apple, who we have already reached out to in hopes of addressing this issue." In its reply to fans, the company asks that users "contact Apple and ask them to provide a solution that would easily allow you to move content from protected CDs into iTunes or onto your iPod.

Plug-in allows users to sync iPods to Winamp

A plug-in called ml_iPod allows Windows iPod users to bypass iTunes and manage music collections in Winamp instead. Justin Frankel, creator of Winamp and Gnutella, developed ml_iPod, but programming was taken over by U.K. computer science student Will Fisher. Fisher and other developers have added the ability to sync multiple iPods with Winamp, create smart playlists and copy songs from an iPod to a computer. iTunes prevents users from copying songs from an iPod to a hard drive in an effort to reduce music piracy. "A lot of the feedback I get is people thanking me for freeing them from iTunes," said Fisher. "It shows the dissatisfaction people have with iTunes."