Many bloggers and journalists seem to think Apple got it wrong. I’m not one of them. In the case of Apple TV, the strategy is to proceed cautiously with a neat, tidy package of technology for $99 and a first step to get the content pricing right for TV shows. In the case of Ping, Apple is embedding social features into iTunes, that’s all.
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Predictions dominate the blogs and columns this month. I also write about Microsoft’s lead in netbooks (One Netbook Per Old Laptop) and the fight against spammers.
Continue readingI’m writing this as Steve Jobs delivers his keynote address at Macworld Expo in San Francisco. With its theme “Something in the air” Apple’s intent is to showcase wireless technology and its uses in media.
Continue readingWith Macworld Expo in San Francisco approaching, the rumor mill is working overtime along with developers feverishly constructing demos and beta versions of new applications.
Continue readingApple TV is a hardware node of the iTunes platform, but it is capable of much more than its current features — Apple can extend the feature set pretty easily through updates to
the onboard software. Apple TV works with PCs and Macs transparently, taking advantage of whatever broadband connection you have — and giving it an edge over traditional VOD services and the XBox 360.
iTunes version 7.1.1 addresses stability issues and minor compatibility problems. Must have been that wobble in one of the wheels. Some Windows Vista problems have been fixed, but not all. See my overview of iTunes version 7.1.1. features for a blow-by-blow description of cover browsing, managing multiple libraries, and using other new features of iTunes 7.1.1.
Continue readingSo far there have been no reports of trouble with the iTunes 7.1 update. People are mostly thrilled by the full-screen CoverFlow feature for browsing by album covers. But iTunes 7.1 is truly welcome in one corner of the universe — folks who use MusicMatch Jukebox.
Continue readingApple this week released iTunes 7.1 for Mac and Windows. Besides providing support for the new Apple TV product, it now offers a new full screen Cover Flow and improved sorting options to let you decide how iTunes should sort your favorite artists, albums, and songs. Apple also released QuickTime 7.1.5 which delivers numerous bug fixes and addresses critical security issues.
Continue readingRumors about Apple are swirling a week after Steve Jobs’ open letter to the music industry (for an excellent summary of reactions, see Engadget’s “DRM: the state of disrepair” by Thomas Ricker). But several developments warrant particular attention: 1. Apple … Continue reading