News Archive for 06/11/09

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Disney sells 500,000 movies via iTunes

11/09, 10:10pm

Disney sells 500K movies

Walt Disney has sold nearly a half of a million digital films--totaling about $4 million--through Apple's iTunes store since their debut about two months ago. The numbers translate to about 9,000 movie purchases a day through Apple's online music store. The company told investors during its fiscal fourth quarter conference call that it expects movie downloads to generate $50 million in revenue during the first year of its debut on iTunes. Disney, the only studio to currently offer digital versions of its films via iTunes, has made about 75 movies available on iTunes; it as also announced plans to make both the No. 1 animated film of the year, Cars, and the No. 1 film of the year, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest available on iTunes. According to AppleInsider, Disney's earnings per share for the fourth quarter increased 89 percent to $0.36, compared to $0.19 in the year-ago quarter. Profits doubled from $379 million to $782 million. Meanwhile, a Disney patent hints that it has considered streaming its wireless content to wireless-enabled (but not announced) iPods, PDAs, pagers, and other devices.

iLuv debuts i202 Bluetooth headphones

11/09, 4:30pm

Bluetooth headphones debut

iLuv today introduced the i202 Bluetooth Stereo headphones, featuring a 'clip over the ear' style with a small Bluetooth dongle allowing users to use the headphones with virtually any audio device, such as Apple's iPod. Integrated controls allow users to play, pause, skip tracks, and control volume. The headphones are compatible with mobile phones, and a built-in microphone enables users to answer as well as make calls, all via the touch of a button. The i202 has a 200-hour standby time, a continuous music listening time of up to 14 hours, and a talk time of 13 hours. Compliant with Bluetooth v1.2, the new accessory includes a USB cable and USB power adapter (for charging). The i202 Bluetooth Stereo headphones are slated for shipment in December for $90.

GizMac upgrades 2G Nano Titan Gear

11/09, 12:50pm

Titan Gear upgraded

GizMac Accessories today launched an upgrade to its Titan Gear for Apple's second-generation iPod nano with armband, carabineer clip, belt clip, and lanyard attachments. While the original Titan Gear only allowed the usage of two attachments at a time, the updated version supports use of all four attachments simultaneously if desired, and switching between attachments is as easy as sliding the new Nano out of one attachment and into the next, according to GizMac. The company's upgraded Titan Gear is shipping for $25 with four attachments included.

MS to pay Universal for each Zune sold

11/09, 10:25am

MS pays Universal for Zune

Microsoft has agreed to pay Universal Music Group a royalty fee for every Zune sold, and the label has indicated that it has a stake in Zune's success. "We felt that any business that's built on the bedrock of music we should share in," said Universal chief Doug Morris. The deal is not directly linked to content shipped with the player, as its preloaded music is provided through music labels with no clear connection to Universal such as Sub Pop and V2, indicating that Universal is no longer satisfied with music sales alone. Microsoft is reportedly in early discussions with other labels for similar fees, according to Electronista, and the change in approach toward music revenue may have future ramifications for Apple, whose deals with music labels have so far extended only to profits from iTunes content sales, and have not affected iPod hardware.