News Archive for 05/10/25

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Apple/Lugz dispute

10/25, 2:00pm

Apple/Lugz ad dispute: Theft or Coincidence

A new article in the New York Times recaps the latest developments in the dispute over the uniqueness of Apple's iPod/Eminem "Silhouette" ad. Apple and its advertising agency have been accused of copying a similar commercial for Lugz footwear commercial. In a statement late yesterday, its first since the debate began a week ago, TBWA/Chiat/Day said any resemblance between the commercials was "disappointing and surprising" as well as "regrettable." Larry Schwartz, executive vice president and principal at Lugz in New York, said in an interview, "We're very upset [...] The look and feel are awfully similar." Frank Ginsberg, whose company was involved in creating the Lugz ad said, "It's the same commercial. I don't get it."

PodGear, MacExpo London

10/25, 1:00pm

PodGear to debut four new products at MacExpo

PodGear today announced that it will be exhibiting four new accessories for the iPod nano and iPod video models on stand two at MacExpo London on October 27-29th. PocketParty for iPod nano (£25)features an LED indicator light, as well as angled speaker grills for improved stereo sound. PhotoBuddy (£15) connects fourth and fifth-generation iPods to a television or stereo via a retractable cable to display photos or play videos. JumpSuit Plus (£15) offers protection for fourth and fifth-generation iPods, as well as iPod nano, without diminishing the original styling.

mightymuffs iPod cases

10/25, 12:20pm

mightymuffs made from punching bag material, cordura

muffpod.com today rolled out the mightymuff, its latest case for Apple's iPod designed to protect the device from scratches and drops. The interior features soft polar fleece, while the exterior offers a single or double layer of foam padding along with a tough outer layer of Cordura or punching bag material. mightymuffs for fifth-generation -- Nano -- and Mini iPods ship with a seat belt webbing strap to hold the device in place. The mightymuff cordura and punching bag cases ($15 for single-FAT padding, $19 for double-FAT padding) fit third -- fourth -- and fifth-generation iPods, while the case made from cordura with a strap ($20 for single-FAT padding, $25 for double-FAT padding) fits iPod nano, iPod mini, and fifth-generation iPods.

invisibleSHIELD for iPod

10/25, 10:45am

Protective offers invisibleSHIELD for iPod video

Protective Solutions today announced the invisibleSHIELD for the new video-enabled iPod. The invisibleSHIELD is a transparent film covering that protects iPods from dust and dirt particles that can scratch and damage the devices, without detracting from the elegant iPod design and without adding bulk, according to the company. "iPod users want form as well as function," said Phillip Chipping, president, Protective Solutions, Inc. "Other cases are bulky and conceal the well-designed form of the iPod, plus they can cause damage to the iPod, since users have to constantly remove and restore their devices in the case." With the invisibleSHIELD in place, users can still attach and use all their iPod accessories, including docking stations and speakers. It is available now for $25 and ships with a 30-day, money-back guarantee as well as a lifetime warranty.

Apple sells 600M songs

10/25, 9:40am

Apple sells 600M songs, claims 80 percent marketshare

During the launch of Australian version of the iTunes Music Store, Apple said it had sold 600 million songs worldwide and claimed more than 80 percent marketshare in most of the 20 countries it serves; however it said that the company's biggest competitors in the online music industry remained the illegal peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing services, rather than other legal music services from MSN, Yahoo, and RealNetworks. Apple earlier today launched iTunes for Australia during its "biggest ever" iTunes launch ever--complete with over one million songs and a large catalog of independent music; however, conspiciously absent were songs from major record label Sony BMG. iTunes vice-president Eddy Cue, who spoke at the launch, said that people now have an alternative to illegally downloading music and he believes they are willing to pay a "fair price," according to ZDNet Australia.

Slim Devices\' Squeezebox

10/25, 9:20am

Redesigned Squeezebox features WMA support, more

Slim Devices today introduced its third generation Squeezebox network music player. The new Squeezebox, which is available in black or white and wireless or wired-only configurations, has been completely redesigned, featuring polished material against a crisp brushed metal fascia. The player includes support for 802.11g wireless, dual internal antennas, 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC, digital and analog jacks, and support for SqueezeNetwork, the new service that enables Slim Devices players to connect to Internet radio and RSS feeds without needing a computer. Along with the simultaneous release of SlimServer 6.2--the companion open-source software--Slim Devices also introduced hardware support for WMA radio and files on all operating systems, wake-on-LAN support, support for Unicode fonts (providing for Chinese, Japanese, and Hebrew text), and an extended radio directory to easily access the best Internet radio stations. The new players are available for $250 (wired) and $300 (wireless).