News Archive for 06/03/21

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Quanta wins iPod contract

03/21, 10:30pm

Report: Quanta wins video iPod contract

Apple may be switching video iPod suppliers or adding more capacity, according to a new report. In its Wednesday edition, The Economic Daily News reported that Quanta Computer has secured contracts from Apple for the manufacture of video iPod devices. Inventec Appliances Corp is the current video iPod manufacturer. Quanta is already the world's leading contract maker of notebook personal computers, according to Forbes.com; the company recently also began manufacturing Apple’s MacBook Pro, according to a previously published report. The new report says that Quanta has won certification for its output and will begin delivery from next month -- the same time frame that some analysts expect a new version of Apple's high-end video iPod.

Apple\'s iTunes challenged

03/21, 4:25pm

Google, MTV to take on Apple's iTunes

Apple's lead in the digital music and video markets may be challenged by possible new services from Google and MTV, as well as mobile phone carriers and Apple's own stubbornness. According to CNNMoney.com, one analyst believes that Google will enter the online music industry with the launch of "Google Tunes." Bear Stearns internet analyst Robert Peck said the new Google offering could be launched in the next few months, although others believe that other services pose little risk to Apple. In addition, the report says that there has also been speculation that Google could buy its way into the market through a purchase of iTunes rival Napster. Meanwhile, one independent research firm believes that mobile phone networks pose a threat to Apple as well, while Forrester Research technology analyst Ted Schadler believes that Apple's iPod marketshare numbers are distorted and that it will need to build an all-in-one digital device to compete with offerings from competitors.

Disney sells 4M via iTunes

03/21, 4:00pm

Disney passes 4 million mark on iTunes

Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Disney content has surpassed 4 million downloads on iTunes since the company first began offering content in October of last year. Citing the evolution of TV content toward digital delivery, he said that the data point is indicative of the biggest change in the TV business: "Technology has transformed authority from the distributor and creator to the consumer. Today's consumer is more tech-savvy and governs how and when and at what price content is sent to them," according to a quote in TVWeek.com. The report says Iger, speaking at the TelecomNext show in Las Vegas, also credited ITunes for introducing the concept of new distribution windows, which he said Disney has been a proponent of, including re-evaluating distribution windows for content in general. Iger also said that the trend toward multiple and diverse platforms--including digital delivery from services such as iTunes--will further widen the divide between good and "inferior" programming.

MS portable media player

03/21, 1:35pm

MS creating portable game, media player

Microsoft is developing a portable device that would play video games, music, and video that the company hopes will out-class Apple's fifth-generation video iPod. The device could debut as soon as the end of 2006, and several top Microsoft executives involved with the portable device's development who also worked on the Xbox 360 game console said Microsoft is very serious about catching up with Sony's PlayStation Portable hand-held game console, as well as Apple's iPod players, according to a report from CNN Money. Microsoft is already a major player in the home console market, and the company's early release of the Xbox 360 could make that device the new dominant player of home consoles. The Xbox 360 launched offering limited connectivity to many digital music players, revealing Microsoft's hope to integrate consumer's home entertainment systems with its own hardware products.

Law threatens iTunes

03/21, 1:00pm

France passes draft, threatens iTunes

French lawmakers approved an online copyright bill Tuesday that would require Apple to open its FairPlay digital rights management format that it uses for its iTunes music store and iPod players, according to The Associated Press. Lawmakers in the National Assembly, France's lower house, approved the bill 296-193. However, the law has yet to be debated and approved by the Senate--a process that would not begin until at least May, according to report. The "draft" law also would force Apple as well as others such as Sony to share proprietary copy-protection technologies so that rivals can offer compatible services and players. "Under the bill, companies would be required to reveal the secrets of hitherto-exclusive copy-protection technologies such as Apple's FairPlay format and the ATRAC3 code used by Sony's Connect store and Walkman players."

UK inflation index

03/21, 8:45am

UK adds iPod, iTunes to inflation index

iPods and iTunes downloads have been added to the list of goods used by the UK government as a standard for measuring inflation, according to Macworld UK. "The 650-product list is maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and it aims to measure the fluctuations in prices paid by the UK population. ONS collects about 120,000 prices every month for a 'shopping basket' of about 650 goods and services. It uses the change in price of those items to compile its main measures of inflation: the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and Retail Prices Index (RPI). The Bank of England uses the CPI as its inflation target while the RPI is used to uprate many state benefits."