NBC Universal and Apple today announced a new lineup of primetime, late-night and classic TV shows. Popular hit shows from NBC Universal include:
- Law & Order
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Late Night with Conan O’Brien
- The Office
- Surface
Hit Shows From NBC Universal Now On iTunes
December 6th, 2005Consumer Reports Recommend 30GB iPod
December 6th, 2005Looking for the best digital music player for a gift this year? Consumer reports recommends you go for the 30GB iPod, which it says is the best of the bunch in terms of value for money, capacity and features. However, they were a little down on the video features in the new iPod.
“Consumer Reports recently reviewed the video capable iPod, and was pleased with its performance as a music player, but wanted more out of its video capabilities. In the end, it ranked the 30GB model as its first choice for a high-capacity digital music player.”
ESPN In Talks With Apple
December 6th, 2005According to a Reuters report, the Disney-owned ESPN network is currently one of several networks currently in talks with Apple over making their content available for download through iTunes.
ESPN’s president, George Bodenheimer, was quoted as saying; “We’re not just in the TV business anymore. We’re going to the table as a sports media company.” Apple are also rumoured to be in talks with Fox, CBS Digital and Clear.
Apple are rumoured to be on the brink of releasing a new kind of media distribution service based on a revised, Intel-powered Mac mini to be launched at MacWorld San Francisco.
When Will Apple Computer Become Apple?
December 5th, 2005Apple Computer was up until the launch of iTunes and iPod a small, niche computer manufacturer. For years they were known as the king of style, offering designer computers at designer prices unsuited to the average consumer. Their marketshare was slipping quarter after quarter, even with the launch of stellar products like the original iMac and PowerBook. While popular products in themselves, they were still reserved for the upper computing classes or those Mac aficionados who were historical users and buyers.
Then iPod happened. Read the rest of this entry »
Apple France Drops iPod Price
December 5th, 2005On the 4th of December the French Apple Store updated the pricing of it’s iPod, reflecting a “significant drop of the piracy tax on digital audio devices” according to a report over at MacOSXRumors. The tax was paid out to music labels as compensation for revenue lost due to the piracy of their copyrighted material.
The iPod shuffle 512MB is now priced at €106.99, down from €109. The larger iPod shuffle 1GB also saw a price drop from €149 to €142. The 30GB iPod saw it’s price drop from €349 down to €325, while the 60GB iPod dropped from €449 down a touch to €446. Lastly, the iPod nano also saw a price reduction with a drop in pricing for a 2GB, now down to €205.74.
This news follows on the heels of news from Japan, where a similar “iPod tax” has been defeated.
Apple To Introduce Media Distribution Service & MWSF?
December 3rd, 2005Rumour has it that Apple are primed to introduce a new media distribution service at their annual Mac bash in San Francisco. The new service, according to Think Secret, is to offer feature-length content as well as an expanded choice of television shows. Recent rumours of deals with more networks back this theory up.
Unlike the current iTunes system where customers download a Fairplay-protected file to their local hard drive, the new system will host the files remotely on the users iDisk. A new version of Apple’s recently introduced Front Row software will allow the user to view the content on their computer.
It is open to debate as to whether this new feature will be Mac-only, much like the first introduction of the iTunes Music Store. However, for this service to take off and truly gain traction it will need to cater to both Macs and Windows alike.
Apple Offers Amazing Prize For Euro iTMS Customers
December 2nd, 2005Apple is offering an amazing prize for the lucky person who downloads the 100 millionth tune from the iTunes Music Store. The prize consists of:
- 17-inch iMac G5
- 30GB iPod
- 10,000-song Gift Card for the iTunes Music Store
- Two tickets to see Robbie Williams in concert
Now that is a prize and a half!
Music fans in 17 countries around Europe are clicking their way to 100 million downloads on the European iTunes Music Stores. Selling 100 million songs on the iTunes Music Stores in Europe marks a dramatic acceleration in the purchase of legally downloadable music on the Internet,” reads Apple’s website.
My advice … wait for someone to release a download tracker for the cometition and give it a go! Best of luck. 
Company Launches First iPod Implant
December 2nd, 2005In a move many see as the future of the industry, a little known mid-west company has launched the world’s first ever iPod implant. Little is known at this time, but it is rumoured to use an embedded trackpad under the skin which connects to the iPod via Bluetooth.
Fox Willing To Deal With Apple
December 2nd, 2005In an interview at the Reuters Media and Advertising Summit yesterday, co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment spoke openly of his company’s willingness to work with Apple to sell content through iTunes.
“Of course, we’d be open to that. We believe it would be a great opportunity,” said James Gianopulos, co-chairman at Fox.
Apple is reportedly working with content providers and networks to boost the inventory of video downloads available at it’s store, which can then be played back on the iPod.
Motorola ROKR E2 Details Emerge
December 2nd, 2005The ROKR E2 iTunes-enabled phone from Motorola was previewed late last month in a presentation given to investors last month. The phone will sport “rapid USB2-enabled downloads”, a Bluetooth stereo headset and support for a new 3G news and information called UMTS.
Aside from these features, Motorola are aiming to make the ROKR E2 much more user-friendly in order to overcome the many problems that dogged the ROKR E2. Reports indicate that the ROKR E2 will be introduced in the first half of 2006.
There are reports of at least 2 more phones from Motorola with iTunes support. The SLVR L7 and the RAZR2 are both reported to feature iTunes.