Apple Digital Music
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AP looks at our favorite major label bully
Filed under: News, Apple, Microsoft, RIAA  Ah Doug Morris, unibrow baby to the digital music revolution. His hard-ball approach with Microsoft, fighting hard for a $1 cut of each Zune sold in exchange for allowing Microsoft to license Universal Music's stable of artists, won him a place on the enemies list of every music blogger from Anaheim to Zurich. The AP takes a softer look at the man who's mission is to change music licensing forever, and not for better. Glenn Coolfer aptly explains, "In contrast to most portrayals as a lone renegade, this one shows a more accurate scenario. Even though other label heads aren't acting so tough, they're more than happy to let Morris do their dirty work." Morris' next hardware licensing target is Apple, who's current deal with Universal expires in May of this year. According to the AP, " Speculation in the industry is that he'll seek a slice of iPod sales. Apple declined comment." Morris stopped short of threatening to pull Universal's catalog from iTunes if the Cupertino kids won't cough up extortion payments royalties but, I wouldn't consider that option completely off the table.
See Also:
Universal may shoot for royalty deal with Apple
Universal Music's Doug Morris, phone phreak
Universal rasies pressure on Youtube and Myspace
Universal Music Group vs. Music Listeners
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Atlantic Monthly : Mp3 = VHS / DRM = Betamax
Filed under: General, DRM, Apple, RIAA, IFPI, BPI, iTunes  Michael Hirchshorn of The Atlantic Monthly takes a look at Web 2.0 music services and while drawing lines though a connect the dots progression comes up with several gems of inference. The highlight of which is a comparison of Mp3 to DRM "protected" media that contrasts VHS and Betamax, " One next step could be a move by the labels to make more pay-per-download music available without restriction, meaning that once you've purchased a song, you can do anything you want with it, currently a no-go on Zune or iTunes. Unrestricted MP3 sites could play VHS to iTunes's Betamax. However it occurs, though, the execution of a widely used free and free-flowing music download and sharing system is surely imminent."
Coolfer was struck by the same quote, and asks not "if" but "when" this whole magical convergence of factors will result in the reiterated statement, "everything will eventually become available everywhere for a price that will approach zero" will become fact rather than lore. We're already on record as saying DRM will die, so where and when can we expect the fiery crash and burn which we all agree is inevitable? I wanna bring marshmallows and watch the flames.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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What's in a name? iPhone dispute erupts
Filed under: News, Apple  Apple's iPhone announcement was followed closely by the folks at Cisco. Why would a network hardware manufacturer care about the newest phone from Apple? They already have a product on the market under the name of iPhone, and they're none to happy about Apple's usurping of the name. According to the Associated Press, "Cisco is asking the court to forbid Apple from using the name "iPhone," which Cisco has held a trademark on since 2000 and used to brand a line of its own Internet-enabled phones that began shipping last spring and officially launched three weeks ago." The real story may be in the, until now, private dealings over the iPhone moniker. Digital Music News reports that this isn't the first tussle over the name, and in fact says Apple's been trying to secure rights to iPhone since 2001. Even creating a shell company called Ocean Telecom Services for the express purpose of filing a trademark claim. For Apple's part, they claim several other companies are using the name and call Cisco's hold on the word, "tenuous at best." Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPhone makes the rounds, SanDisk gets ignored
Filed under: News, Apple, Sandisk  The iPhone is getting more press coverage than, well, a thing that gets a lot of press coverage. Here's a sampling from around the mainstream... Apple packs all kinds of high-tech goodies into iPhone (USATODAY)After A Long Wait, Apple iPhone Wows With Touch-Screen (Investor's Business Daily)Apple Inc. Is Here (CNN)I don't know if it will revolutionize the mobile phone, but it's certainly providing a legion of reporters with something to write about. Meanwhile, back in the land of every other portable device company whos name doesn't start with "A", SanDisk announced a slick new line up the other day that has been completely overshadowed by Apple's new toy. "The player, which Sandisk say will hold 33 video hours or 2,000 songs, boasts a 4-inch screen similar in size to Apple's video iPod and comes with 8 megabytes of flash memory." I'd wish for more storage, but it's definitely a step in the right direction for SanDisk. That SanDisk has managed to stave off the Zune and hold two spots in the top 10 devices is impressive, and if they keep making sharp devices at reasonable price-points, I think you'll start seeing more Sansa devices in the wild than you might expect. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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It's really here, the iPhone
Filed under: News, iTunes, Apple  Yep, it's official. At 9:40am Pacific, Apple's Steve Jobs announced the iPhone, and the newest Apple gadget gave it's tiny little polyphonic birth cry. Details are still sketchy but, here's what our feet on the street at TUAW have to say in their live blogging of Jobs keynote. No word yet whether the iPhone really does encompass features of the iPod, but one can only hope. - "These phones all have keyboards that are there whether you need them or not. And they have buttons and controls that can't change if you want to add an idea to the product six months down the road." i.e. Touchscreen, kiddies.
- Most advanced phones are called "Smart Phones" but they're not so smart, and not so easy to use. We leapfrog with a product that is way smarter and way easier to use with a revolutionary UI with years of research and development behind it. (David adds: "Man! Ryan of Engadget really hit this right on the head.")
- Multi-touch technology "works like magic". (Laurie notes: "I have a draw full of styluses.") It ignores unintended touches, multi-finger gestures and has patents. Or something like that. I think I jumbled things there a little bit. It is built on top of revolutionary interface with software that calls current mobile phones "baby software" and then mocks them. Yes, the iPhone runs OS X, children!!! W00t!
Update: There is at least initial confirmation that the iPhone does double as a music player.. plus it's got a host of really keen features.
Update 2: Music and more. Coverflow flipbooks, tight iTunes integration, stereo headphones with tiny microphone, 4GB will be $499, 8GB $599. You'll have to wait until June so, put that credit card away.
Update 3: Here's a flickr stream of the whole thing. Like Buttah! Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Top Ten glory remains elusive for Zune
Filed under: Apple, Creative, Microsoft, Sandisk, Zune Marketplace  Aw, keep trying little buckaroo! C|Net reports that the Zune hasn't cracked the top ten portable music players, although it has captured a "decent slice" of the hard drive based player market in big box retail stores. The overall top ten is overwhelmingly Apple, with 8 of the top ten slots occupied by fruit etched media devices, Sandisk's Sansa models round out the rest of the ten. For what it's worth, Santa (also known as a stand-up comic and brit-pop trivia nutjob) recently delivered a Sansa to my doorstep, and I couldn't be happier. Analysts are saying that Microsoft is "doing well for a newcomer" and reminding us that the Zune is a "multiyear haul" but, what is it going to take to wedge Apple out of the driver's seat and substitute a Microsoft product in its place? The Zune's marketing, though really pretty, is incredibly conceptual and artsy and, frankly, the American consumer isn't exactly known for their ability to "get" high-brow concepts. Coupled with the closed eco-system of Zune's "Marketplace", and the relative complexity of the whole Zune experience, MS has a very long way to go to win this little war they've started. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Cringely says DRM doomed in 2007, so is Zune
Filed under: News, DRM, Apple, Microsoft, RIAA, eMusic  This year will see ecosystem changing digital music milestones, if Robert X. Cringely's crystal ball is working properly. In his 2007 predictions Cringely writes, "No one DRM technology emerges as the winner and the RIAA begins to back off as it loses a few legal cases. Still, no Internet-only song wins a Grammy or is even recognized as existing." He also turns his six-shooter of prognostication on Apple's unibrow baby wanna-be, "Zune 2.0 appears, isn't brown, but still nobody buys it." Cringely's predictions give us something to think about. I've already gone on record as saying DRM is deadmeat in 2007 and, I think he's certainly within reason to believe the RIAA will eventually tire of its endless stream of litigation. What I think the RIAA won't do is end one strategy without starting another, so look for signs of a new direction in "piracy management."
Let's face it, piracy isn't going to shrivel up and die, but will be managed like a chronic disease, rather than through a frantic hacking off of limbs. As for the Zune, I don't think it matters. Zune 2.0 or not the only thing that will displace Apple as top dog in the digital music marketplace is the end of DRM for mainstream, major label music. The death of DRM would make major changes in the hardware ecosystem possible, as manufacturers compete for eardrums and eyeballs on a level playing field. Apple's DRM has the labels stuck in a very tight place, and there is every reason to believe that deep within the darkest layers of the RIAA's war room there is a sincere desire to break free from Apple's bonds. As for an internet only song winning a Grammy, as long as the Recording Academy members are exclusively members of the "club", I think it's safe to say that the Grammy awards won't see any internet party crashers invited to the dance. That's just simple logic. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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A message from the iPod workers union
Filed under: General, iTunes, Apple Ever wonder what goes on inside your iPod? If you're like most of us, you simply listen and browse, taking for granted all of thehard work going on deep inside your pocket-sized boredom destroyer. These guys would like to remind you that it's not all fun and games in there. Cranking out tunes and keeping things organized is tough work.
Warning: This video contains not-so-safe-for-work language.. but is overall pretty harmless. Enjoy! Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Zune's lackluster holiday performance
Filed under: News, Apple, Microsoft, Zune Marketplace  If you weigh the anecdotal evidence, Microsoft's Zune didn't have a very merry Christmas. Failing to make Amazon's top sellers list at any point during the holiday season, the Zune trailed far behind Apple's iPod, several models of which held top spots at various points. According to TechWeb "During the holiday season, Zune was seldom seen among the top 10 consumer electronics on Amazon. Microsoft, however, says sales have met its internal forecasts, and it expects sales to pick up over time as the company increases marketing and introduces technology enhancements." Meanwhile the iPod was holding steady at nearly 73% of DAP retail revenue and a solid 63% of unit sales during the same period. As much as Microsoft would like to pretend that the Zune is everything they'd hoped it would be, you have to imagine that somewhere in Redmond a few execs are sitting around a white-board re-evaluating the Zune strategy. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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iPod meets blender or, how not to care for your iPod
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