News Archive for 05/11/03

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Column: Apple could learn from past mistakes

11/03, 7:50pm

Apple past mistakes

After transforming the digital music industry with the iPod, Apple is on a high. But the company has enjoyed success before - only to see it vanish, warns Kieren McCarthy. "This is not the first time Apple has found itself with the best product in a market it has almost single-handedly created. And yet the Mac - launched with the famous TV advertisment 1984, which was aired once during that year's Superbowl - is now no more than a bit player. The Newton is long dead, and the Apple II is a museum piece." McCarthy says Apple's innovation "comes with a price: arrogance and a deep-seated control instinct." Having created a market, Apple's conviction has "frequently mutated into stubbornness and it has seen the market run off in a different direction once competitors have caught up."

New Sony PSP software takes aim at video iPod

11/03, 1:50pm

New Sony PSP software

Sony today released PSP Media Manager, new software that transfers digital audio and video to the Playstation Portable (PSP), a move that will increase competition for Apple's fifth-generation iPod. The software runs on Windows systems only, and searches for playable content. The application allows discovered files to be transferred directly to the PSP and converts unsupported formats automatically, accordign to a report from vnunet.com. PSP Media Manager provides for automatic RSS feed updates, and features a backup function to prevent data loss. Supported file types include JPEG, WAV, AVI, MP3, MP4, and MPEG. Files can be transferred at USB 2.0 speeds, and music downloaded from Sony's Connect online music store is easily copied to the PSP.

AOL buys MusicNow subscription service

11/03, 12:20pm

AOL buys MusicNow

AOL today announced that it has purchased MusicNow -- Circuit City's digital music subscription service -- placing Time Warner's music division in direct competition with Apple's iTunes Music Store. A source familiar with the matter said AOL paid less than $25 million, while the strategy allows AOL to build its online advertising revenue at AOL.com, as well as derive subscription revenue from the music service, according to a report from Reuters. MusicNow will reportedly offer downloads for $1, the same sum that consumers currently pay for tracks at the iTunes Music Store, and will offer monthly subscriptions for $10 allowing unlimited downloads or streaming, according to the report. For an extra $5 per month, customers can download songs to a compatible digital music player; however Apple's iPod is not supported.

Briefly: Apple in Burlington, MoviesForMyPod

11/03, 10:30am

Apple Store Burlington

In Brief: Apple will hold the grand opening of Apple Store Burlington (Burlington, MA) on November 5 in.... American Sign Language (ASL) fingerspelling (free) and Baby-Talk in ASL ($1) are now available at the iTunes Music Store.... The Omni Group's outlining and organizational tool, OmniOutliner 3.0.4, brings support for Accessibility technologies in Mac OS X, improved integration with Spotlight search technology, and improvements to Automator support.... Digigami's MoviesForMyPod 0.992, formerly MovieToGo, has been updated to produce QuickTime movie files suitable for Podcasting (i.e., movie files that can be podcast and sync'd to the iPod without conversion) and also adds watched folders and drag & drop for batch conversion as well as a French localization.... In anticipation of its 10-yr anniversary, IK Multimedia is offering upgrade prices on all IK software for any registered IK User of any IK Multimedia software.

Apple has no plans for video content in Asia

11/03, 9:25am

No video service in Asia?

Apple has begun selling its popular video iPod in South Korea, but does not have any plans to provide a video content service, despite its success in the US. Company representatives told The Korea Times that it has no intention to sell video content such as TV dramas, movies or music videos in South Korea because "there is no visible market for portable video players" and that it had no specific plan to launch the service in the future, according to the report. "We are just stepping into the uncharted territory with the new iPod," said Tony Li, product marketing director of Apple’s Asia Pacific region, during a media session in Seoul. "No one can purchase music videos or dramas yet, but they can move their private video files and family albums to iPod." Li also said that the company is using the video-enabled portable music player as a test of tech-savvy Asian consumers.

Samsung: no plans for music service

11/03, 9:15am

Samsung backpedals

Contrary to previous reports, Samsung today said it has no plans to enter the online music business. Earlier this week, reports surfaced indicating that Samsung would launch an iTunes-like online music service, however, the president of Samsung's digital media business told reporters that it had no such plans. "We are not at all interested in a music service ourselves," Choi Gee-sung, president of Samsung's digital media business. The Associated Press notes that South Korean media had quoted Choi as saying the company planned such a service and that the remarks were later confirmed by the company; however, Choi said that there had been a misunderstanding of comments he made to Korean reporters late last week. The companay, however, said that it would offer technical support to its online music partners such as Napster to help sales of its portable music players.