Disney, Clear Channel to advertise on iPods...

Walt Disney and Clear Channel today announced that they are starting to advertise on video-capable portable players--such as Apple's fifth-generation iPod. The two media giants will be the first major media corporations to offer promotional videos to iPods and other related players, according to a report from the Red Herring. Disney plans to offer full-screen, high-quality video from The Chronicles of Narnia, while also providing trailers, clips, interviews, and other content via its website. Clear Channel will provide 60-second video segments of its "Rush Limbaugh Show" for both fifth-generation iPods and PCs to subscribers of the "Rush 24/7" premium content service, starting December 12th.

TiVo for iPod may strain network-studio relations...

TiVo's recent plan to make TV shows and movies downloadable onto the fifth-generation iPod and Sony PSP may strain relations between networks and studios who hope to develop revenue from the digital distribution. Several TV and studio execs are considering legal action against TiVo, according to a report from the Daily Variety. An NBC Universal spokesman said "TiVo appears to be acting unilaterally, disregarding established rights of content owners to participate in decisions regarding the distribution and exploitation of their content. This unilateral action creates the risk of legal conflict instead of contributing to the constructive exploitation of digital technology that can rapidly provide new and exciting experiences for the consumer." The new service is expected to be available by early next year, and software necessary to utilize it is expected to cost between $15-30.

Apple may face iPod supply constraint...

Apple may not be able to meet Wall Street estimates for iPod shipments during the holiday season, according to a report issued today by investment research firm PiperJaffray. The firm said iPod supplies at non-Apple retailers is tight, as Apple is apparently holding inventory for its own stores. "Based on limited iPod availability (during times of peak demand) outside of Apple retail stores and apple.com, we continue to believe that some Street estimates for iPod unit shipments for the December quarter are too high. We are currently modeling for total iPod shipments of 9.0 million. While we do believe slight upside to our estimate is achievable, we do not expect Apple will be able to ship the number of units that are already anticipated in some Street models." Despite these concerns, the firm has raised its price target from $68 to $79 for Apple.

France to reduce iPod tax this week...

France is expected to reduce its copyright tax imposed on music players containing flash memory, including the iPod nano and the iPod shuffle. The move may come as early as next week according to a source familiar with the plan. IDG News reports that the levy on a 4GB iPod nano could be reduced from over €50 (US$59) to about €8: "In France, as in some other European countries including Germany and Italy, it is legal to copy music for private use -- but in return the law imposes copyright levies on blank media, including cassettes, CDs, DVDs, hard disk drives and flash memory devices. The copyright levy is intended to compensate composers, performers and producers for revenue opportunities lost due to private copying of music."

Apple sees massive thanksgiving iPod sales

iPod sales skyrocketed over the U.S. holiday season this weekend, as online retailer Best Buy, Amazon and eBay reported heavy demand for the music players, according to Macworld U.K. Sales of the black 4GB iPod nano shot up 95 per cent, while the white version leaped 88 per cent between Friday November 25, and Saturday November 26, compared to a week earlier, according to eBay Marketplace Research. Best Buy's online store sold out of both the white and black versions of the 4GB iPod nano this weekend. The Nano was Amazon's sixth biggest-selling item. Apple has officially confirmed “staggering” demand for its music players over the start of the traditional holiday shopping season.

iPod rivals plan universal dock connector

Apple's competitors are looking for ways to fight the success of the iPod and one group is looking to design an open standard for a mobile device dock connector--much like the propietary connector offered on the iPod. The Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA's) Technology and Standards Mobile Electronics Committee has announced a new working group to develop an industry standard for a common portable device connector, according to a report by PC Advisor. The industry standard connector will allow device manufacturers, portable player manufacturers, and others to more quickly build devices and a market for their products. "To accommodate this need, the portable device industry has so far invented a variety of proprietary docking connectors that are not generally interoperable. This new working group will create an industry standard docking connector specification that could be adopted by any host or portable device manufacturer regardless of the format or protocol that it supports."

iPods a huge hit on eBay

The iPod, which was a hit among retailers this past holiday weekend, was among the top products sold on eBay. Numbers from eBay Marketplace Research show that the 4GB iPod nano sales were up more than 90 percent from the previous weekend and that 2GB Nano sales (Black) were up 161 percent, while legacy 20GB iPod sales were up 45 percent from the Nov 18-19 weekend. Sales of iPod accessories were also up by 29 percent. Other popular items included point-and-shoot digital cameras from Kodak and Nikon and FLY Pentop computers as well as LEGO sets. Overall US retail numbers showed that after Thanksgiving weekend retail sales surged 22 percent, giving a boost to AAPL and Wal-Mart futures.