News Archive for 05/08/19

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iPod NAND supplies

08/19, 5:00pm

iPod may hog NAND flash memory supplies

Demand for Apple's iPod is greater than ever before, and Apple reportedly has plans to buy as much as 40 percent of the NAND flash output of Samsung Electronics during the second half of this year, according to market research firm iSuppi. As Apple moves from hard disk-based iPod production to a flash-based mini model of 4GB capacity, other NAND customers could be left out in the cold to search for other suppliers of flash memory, according to EE Times. Memory analyst Nam Hyung Kim of iSuppi in a report issued today said sources told him that Samsung has offered Apple "extremely low prices on its NAND parts" in the hopes of convincing Apple to switch from hard-disk storage to NAND memory for the 4GB iPod.

iTunes phone V Festival

08/19, 3:15pm

iTunes phone won't appear at V Festival as expected

The highly anticipated "Rokr" mobile phone from Motorola, which will incorporate Apple's iTunes music software, will not debut at Virgin Mobile's V Festival concert in the U.K. this weekend as previously announced, according to Engadget and the UK's Inquirer newspaper. The two-day concert sponsored by Virgin Mobile will feature 57 bands, and was thought to make a good venue for the unveiling of the music phone by some analysts. A representative from Virgin Mobile UK, however, said at the time that there was no plan to launch the phone at V fest, according to TheStreet.com. A Motorola representative said that when the phone gets its formal kickoff, it won't be sharing the stage with any other acts.

Mossberg picks iTunes

08/19, 2:25pm

Mossberg picks iTunes over subscription schemes

Companies as formidable as Microsoft, Sony and Wal-Mart have been unable to gain any traction in the music download market, despite closely imitating iTunes, explains Walter Mossberg in his latest column. Mossberg cites three key reasons why iTunes has seen so much success, while others have not: tight integration with the iPod, ease of use on both PC and Mac, and "comparatively liberal" restrictions on downloaded files. Unable to find success with the 99-cents-per-song model pioneered by iTunes, competitors have turned to subscription-based programs. The problem, Mossberg says, is the rental model is "far more complicated and restrictive than iTunes, and has several big downsides." These downsides include a loss of music files the user stops paying his or her subscription. [See all the latest iPod-related news on iPodNN.]