News bits

Accolades for the iPod. Ranking second in the top 50 greatest gadgets in the last 50 years list. The iPod nano has been crowned as the MP3 player of the year by Stuff magazine. Amazon's top 3 selling electronic products are the iPods. No details are given which models of the iPod are in the top 3. According to Kiplinger's , the main advantage of the iPod is its seamless integration with iTunes and the iTunes Music Store, and none of the iPod's rivals can offer anything as seamless.

News on podcasting. Apple might start selling podcasts thru iTMS, this as companies Disney, IBM, and those listed in the Fortune 500 list are jumping into the podcasting bandwagon.

No stopping the juggernaut. In 2005, Apple went full throttle in releasing products like the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, fifth-generation iPod, new iMacs and the Mac mini. Apple also made a bold step forward by offerng downloadable TV shows to complement the 5G iPods and the latest iMacs. With rumors of the Mac mini PVR and possible wireless iPods, many are expecting that Apple will accelerate more in 2006. At $73 per share, Apple's stock has risen more than 10 times since 2002 and many are wondering what could Apple offer that could propel their stocks to $100 per share.

Through the crystal ball. According to one company, 4% of those surfing the Web are Mac users. But according to one prediction, the figure might rise to 5% in 2006. Other forecasts include iPod-like devices for the home, Mac mini will become a living room appliance, and an iPhone by third-quarter of 2006.

And those other things. The inventor of the World Wide Web and of the first web browser discusses the the current state of Web browsing technology and what are the things that will help make his vision of the Web browser a reality. Speaking of browsers, adoption to Mac from Windows won't be as easy as adoption to Firefox from IE.

A welcome home message from iPod Garage to their old and new members.

PC Authority reviews the 60 GB 5G iPod and cites serious disappointments in the slimmed down accessories, being locked into the "iTunes system", and being unable to play WMA files. Who wants to play WMA?!?!?.

One of PC Authority's complaint is that the 60GB 5G iPod fell short of the 20 hours playback. Here are tips on how to improve your iPod's battery life.

Apple, aside from revolutionizing the user's computing experience and the way how people listen to music, they also have revolutionized how a business does retail. Peter Burrows of BusinessWeek Online recalls his experience in doing his last-minute holiday shopping in a Apple Store. Apple has the iPod Express Table, equipped their Apple "Genuises" with wireless credit card scanners, and introduced a wireless, paperless checkout process called EasyPay.

Update: December 28, 2005
The EasyPay system is here to stay as it was considered a big success during the holidays.

News have it that Samsung might sell NAND to Sony, reincarnating the "iPod-killer" prophecy. Again.

Slow Weekend News

First up, let's get into boredom, as in "people are bored with all the MacIntel rumors."

Next, let's get into reality, and that people sometimes don't know what they are getting into. Especially when it comes to buying iPods. Good thing there was a good-looking guy available to enlighten the confused masses ready to shell out hundreds of dollars.

Another dose of reality. This time reality tells us that USA Today is just gosh darn not worth it. After one of their writers suffers a case of stupid, another one suffers a case of not-researching-well-enough. He may have heaped praises on the fifth-generation iPod, but writing "...iPodders at Apple have added TV to their music box, streaming Apple Store-supplied video onto a screen..." just makes you look dumb.

Let me add a twist of irony. Symantec's anti-virus for Mac actually helps viruses get into Mac PCs.

Lastly, let's finish off with let's-not-link-to-stories-about-Macs-in-the-dustbin-on-2006-stories attitude, of which things like those really irks TUAW.

Just some add-ons and extenders.

iPodDisk 1.0 beta1 has been released. This app allows you to copy off songs from your iPod to any PC. This is in the event of your PC's hard drive suddenly failing, or losing your portable or get it stolen.

Writely is an online word processor. It allows you to create a web document online and share it with other people. This does not work with Safari and the developrs say it's Safari's fault, not theirs.

Learn to tke control of your PC with PHP form MacTeens. That's it.

Shift through the zircons to get a diamond.

And that folks, is that. It's that time of year again where family members gather to celebrate another round of gluttony and gorging. Happy Holidays, everyone! Mind the cholesterol.

The Year of the iPod; the Age of the iPod; the iPod on the top of the list; up to 11 million iPods

The iPod takes four positions in the top ten of most searched term in Froogle. It took the #1, #4, #8, and #10 places.

Analysts from Piper Jaffray raised their estimated 9 million iPods to be sold in the last quarter to 11 million.

It's the year of the iPod in Japan. News has it that Apple has taken 60% of the digital music player market in November. This is compared to Sony's 10%. Sony is having a bad fourth quarter. From the DRM debacle to the new lawsuits filed by Texas to losing ground to Apple. What else could go wrong?

From the year of the iPod, let's take lessons from the Age of the iPod and these are: being first is not important. Timing is. Design the right products and services; success often comes in making the whole much, much better than the parts and; don't sacrifice quality for price. Knocking down a product for everyone to buy is not a good idea. Learn to revolutionize then learn to evolve.

Pakman suggests that the other online music services DRM do away with DRM on songs that are not selling well anymore. He also says that his company, eMusic, is doing as well as iTMS is.

By the way, you can get your iPod invisa on eBay.

Chris Howard wants an iPod with a Swiss army knife.

PC Magazine offers 6 ways to connect your iPod to your car. (I went the cheap way and "borrowed" my brother's casette adapter.)

The Unofficial Apple Weblog gives tips on compression settings for your 5G iPod.

Apple and Mac news

Apple had 57% more visitors last November when compared to the other year. From 19, 615,000 on November 2004, it's up 57% to 30,845,000.

LowEndMac has very interesting stories about Apple. The most recent is about an Apple CEO who stayed for only 500 days at the helm. This happened in the mid-90s when Apple was sinking. More stories like the return of Steve Jobs to Apple and how a man changed the Mac's direction.

USA Today must be losing readership since they are willing to print out garbage.

People from Cincinnati are also craving for attention. After calling the iPod as a "smut device," another Cincinntian takes another stab at the iPod, calling it a waste of money. What's with people from Cincinnati?

BusinessWeek has a rebuttal to USA Today's inane article, saying that even though Jobs will get hosed on 2006, just like what's happened in the past, he will get back up that pedestal USA Today mentioned.

Interestingly enough, The Mac Observer has an "Apple Death Knell" counter. The piece from USA Today is #48, and for the most part, this particularly Death Knell is weak and offers no real reason on why the wreiter thinks Apple, or more specifically, Jobs, will perish, that is except to just gain readership and visitor counts. Man, pathetic.

Texas adds another item to its lawsuit against Sony. On November, Texas Attorney General filed a lwasuit against Sony for their deceptive trade practices and installing spyware in Texans' computers.

Apple Matters's James Stoup has his own "Top (number here) stories of/for 200x." His "Soon To Be Most Hyped Up Non-Stories of 2006" lists four stories Stoup thinks will be all over the news on 2006. He calls it as the "over optimistic tech analysis" reports from various sources. (He adds six more in the comments section to fulfill the need of the usual "Top Ten" lists of things a reader was craving for.) My favorite is the "The iPod Killer," prodcuts that will set to replace the iPod as the world's number one DMP. Reader more for a laugh or a slap in the face that will wake you up and make you face reality.

1GB nano?; Better times for Apple; Jobs in Time; the commuting Carr; the better Mac

On my post #291, I foresaw a 1GB iPod nano. Guess what? Apple Insider carried a story that said some people in Apple are actually mulling over a 1GB version of the nano and that it will be priced aggresively at $149. I was too hopeful for a $99 1GB nano. Heh. Also included in the article, Apple is building and shipping 100,000 of the nano each day.

Taipei Times says that Apple will perform significantly on 2006, beating companies like Dell, Acer, HP, and Toshiba.

A New York Times columnist says that the 5G iPod gives him the 'me' time during his commute. TV shows from iTMS like 'Lost' gives David Carr a "new kind of private, restorative time, a virtual third place between a frantic workplace and a home brimming with activity." And with 3 million shows downloaded so far, Carr is not alone.

Time names Steve Jobs as one of the People Who Mattered in 2005. "Jobs' thoughts tend to become our reality. What will he think of next?" This is after BusinessWeek Online names him as one of the Best Leaders: Exec and the nano one of their "Best Products."
Adam Curry is also named as one of the Best Leaders: Entepreneur. "In just 18 months, Adam Curry has sparked a creative revolution online." A survey also lists Jobs as the second most admired CEO, but MacWorld points out that this survey has too many inconsistencies to be considered as reliable.

Apple does the right thing, not the cheap thing.

Get OS X's background maintenance tasks.

Slow news weekend

CNN gives the Top Ten Web Moments in 15 years of the World Wide Web.

Chris Howard does a top ten, too, but on the developments that shaped how people use the Internet. This is a better read in my opinion.

GMail can now be accessed using your cellphone. You can use the address http://m.gmail.com/ to get your read you emails from GMail. There is a list of compatible phones over at Google. Looking at the page, I get the impression that this service might be available in the US only. I tried it this morning and I couldn't get in. I thought at that time it could have been Globe's fault but now I'm not so sure.

"From Philly to the Philippines, Amy can yak away" I didn't realize how much an impact the flight of Filipinos have been until I saw the picture from Yak.com. Yak offers a wide range of services, from toll free services to cellular long distance and from data services to broadband voice. They also have Yak for free, which allows users to make and receive phone calls with real-time video. I'd like to try this out soon. You have to download their Virtual VideoPhone software which is available for Mac and Windows.

Macworld editors got flak from Breen for giving both the 5G iPod and iPod nano the Editor's Choice labels for Best iPod of the Year. Stung from being called "babies" they try to justify why both got their thumbs up. But for The Mac Observer's Ted Landau, the nano is not worth picking over the fifth-generation iPod. For him, it's all about the video.

Another clear film for the 5G iPod is out. TrendyGeek releases the Trendy Shield, Video iPod shield and sells it for $12.99. It uses static to make the plastic cling onto the iPod. This is $6.00 more expensive than the Best Skin Ever for the 5G iPod, though it seems 'better' since it doesn't leave any residue on the iPod when the skin is removed.

IPod Garage reviews a case for the 5G iPod that I have had my eyes on. The Contour Design iSee video looks real nice except that it cost $25.95. But I might get this, too.

PCWorld says that Apple portables and iPods topped its reliability survey again, however, the desktops didn't get the same distinction.

Apple Matters interviews John Batelle, entrepreneur, journalist, professor, author, founder, and chairman. The interviews revolves around two giants: Apple and Google.

Get to know the alternatives: VLC and MPlayer. THey fill up what Quicktime can't.

Last but not least, I love my Mac song. Dang.

Bye-bye, shuffle?; iPod crazy on eBay; free videos; no videos (in Japan); Aussies have it bad

1GB iPod shuffles are hard to come by. As a matter of fact, on Apple Stores, they have the message, "iPod shuffle 1GB.Currently Unavailable. Sold out for holiday. Expected availability mid-January." There are now speculations that a new iPod will be released to replace the shuffle or perhaps the shuffle will be updated. People at MacDailyNews and iPod Garage have begun speculating on what January 10 will bring? An iPod shuffle with a screen? A 1GB nano at $99? I better start selling my shuffles!

"The Big Thirty: hands-on reviews of thirty Fifth Generation video iPod accessories you should know about," from iPod Garage.

Free videos from ivideoblast.com for your 5G iPod. Also from Edmunds. Free car reviews and other stuff. Also, 10 tips for city driving.

Jobs may have retired the iPod mini but people still want them. A pink 4GB mini sold for $275 when it originally was being sold at $199. Some sellers are even asking for $400 for an iPod mini. Nanos are selling for $350.

Why are the iPod minis still commanding such a high price when it's considered obsolete? Christopher Breen from Playlist Mag compares the mini with its usurper, the nano. It's neck and neck except for desirability. Check out the article to find out who won.

Rivals are having a hard time competing against the iPod. Aside from cool factor and user friendliness, the iPod also has a price advantage over compeititors like Creative and Sony.

NBC will offer more shows on iTMS. In the meantime, Google releases Google music, a service that allows users to easily search artists, lyrics, and CD titles. Are they competing with iTMS? They said no. For now.

The 5G might not take off in Japan since getting content into the iPod might be difficult because of the country's complicated copyright laws.

Problems with iTMS Down Under. Some albums have songs that are cut half way through. Aussies are not impressed with Apple service.

Macs here. There. Everywhere! More rumors, too!

Apple's key events for 2005. No mention of Aperture release.

Apple just keeps on trouncing them. From the iPod to the iMac to proposed digital media hubs.

Using Linux isn't all that

Thurott trumpets Macs. Says photo and video editing is better than Windows.

Someone got the boot because shes uses Macs, and they add that students using Macs "are not being prepared from the real world."

Some Powerbook users are unhappy.

Oklahoma City University becomes a "Windows computing alternative" Digital Campus. They are offered discounted Powerbooks, iPods, and iSights.

Rumors Time: Will Intel stick the Inside sticker on Macs? Will Apple allow them to? Apple and Intel could be disruptive and will also try to invade your living room on 2006. Morgan Stanley predicts an iPhone on 2006

Lastly, Konfabulator is no more. It is now called Yahoo! Widget Engine.

News in a quick

I'm going to try to summarize all the news for the past few days in thirty minutes.

Five Rules of Cool:

Excellence trumps everything

Decide on your story, then stick to it

Choose your friends well

Choose your enemies better

Let your allies play bad cop
Download the article here.

Google is developing Google Earth for Mac OS X. Google allows users to type in an address and the application will "fly" to the satellite image of that address. UNEASY Silence has a link to the file for download.

BostonHerald.com highly recommends the 5G iPod, calling it a better alternative to getting cable and watching "stuttervision." The 5G iPod is also being touted as a new distribution channel for video, allowing those who has previously failed in getting their content out, make their work more accessible.

Shaw Wu predicts that the first MacIntels will be Mac portables like the Powerbook or iBook, or perhaps lightweight sub-notebooks or palmtops. Wu doesn't think iMacs will get the Intel chip soon because the PowerPC G5 offers the best price-performance. Think Secret thinks that Apple will introduce a 13.3-inch iBook, replacing the 14-inch model. The new iBook is said to have 15 percent more pixels than the 14-inch and will have WXGA resolution of 1280x720.

Aside from the Mac rumors for MWSF, there are also iPod rumors, particulary that Apple will release "iPod companion" products. One such "companion" is an iPod boom box.

Plays of the Year 2005 lists down the stand-out products of 2005.

BusinessWeek Online also has the Best of 2005, listing Steve Jobs as one of the "Best Leaders" and the iPod nano as one

Speaking of the iPod nano, it and the iPod are expected to bury rival digital audio players during the holiday season. Another company has just died under the click wheel. Thomson, a french company, is set to sell its consumer electronics division to concentrate more in media services.

Opus spoofs Steve Jobs.

Gorog say Apple is villain. Ugh!

Ohio seems to love feeding people FUD. After Sandra Ali talks trash about the iPod propagating porn, Chris Seper of Cleveland, OH, says that people who buy iPods are naive and stupid. He also says that there have been dented iPods. First time I heard of dented iPods.

A hot topic goes: "Which is better in introducing children to computers? Mac or Windows?" Dave Taylor tries to be unbiased in his response but ultimately as a parent, he sees his kids use the Mac more.

Macworld rumors update; podcasting bits

Just what do people think MWSF 2006 will bring? Apple Matters shares a few of its thoughts on the biggest rumors on the end of 2005:

Intel-based Macs: still the number one rumor for MWSF 2006. You just can shake it off. But it's still up in the air on which Mac will get the Intel chip first.

PVR: Apple might let loose a TiVo-like device rather than a competitor for the Window Media Center. This rumor is said to be a favorite of Think Secret

New shuffle: Some thinks that the shuffle should have a screen and perhaps come in different colors. Definitely a 2GB can't be in the offing since this would step on the 2GB nano.

I consider podcasting as a way to free the listener from the cartel composed of regulators and music labels. But it would seem this cartel is going into indie music, as well. It is in the guise of the Association of Independent Music who would require podcasters to pay licensing fees for the use of the music of its acts. Why would anybody pay a fee when there are music out there that you don't have to pay anything to play in your podcast. These talents are at par, if not better, with what AIM has to offer.

Research reveals that 85% of US residents 18-24 years of age prefer to listen to iPods than to listen to radio. This is based on study conducted between July and November 2005. It also revealed that 55% are willing to pay for music downloads and 56% listen to music online or on a digital music player rather than on any other source.

Lastly, is 128 AAC better than 128 MP3?

My cool things for the week

PingMag posted a cute but every informative photo story on the Website Development Process. The photo story cum how-to for dummies shows little plastic figures in a show and tell on how a website is developed. It identifies a girl as the "designer," an eye-patch wearing, gaunt faced character in a business suit as the "client," and a robot as the "programmer." There are 15 steps in developing a website, from discussion with the client to launching of the website. This is just so timely for me since I'm planning develop a website for the department. Finding the Basics of the Unix Philosophy is also timely, since, in my opinion, making a webpage is like creating a program. Thanks to a comment on Software Quality blogspot for providing a link to the website.

There is an online instant messaging system which you can use to send IM to your friends without having to install any software on your PC. Meebo lets you send IM from services like AIM, Yahoo, Jabber, and MSN. Meebo is still in alpha and have been operational for 3 months. According to the website, the passwords that you enter are encrypted using 1024-bit RSA keys. This is a great service and hopefully will go into version 1.0 soon.

I found Meebo on Walt Mossberg's Personal Technology column where he answered letters in his mailbag. The questions were: how to send IM without installing a software (Meebo), how dare Mossberg suggest buying Macs now when MacIntels are coming (doesn't matter. Macs today will still be useful for 2 plus years), how fast should a PC for a mom be (no so much if for Web use only. Just load up on memory), and Macs aren't for everyone (yeah, that's you, Gamer).

I found Apple's online seminars or webinars, and Yanko Design, designers of the Blowfly alarm clock. This is an alarm clock that will make sure you won't hit the anooze button to catch a few more zzz's. The blowfly will get out of its 'cage' and start flying around your room and produce sounds. You have to get up, get out of bed, and catch it to turn it off.

News of the week recap

The week for me was slow and boring. It really didn't gave me much of a reason to post news about Apple. So what did the web have for me going towards the weekend?

Is it the right time to buy a Mac? (he says it's ok even amidst the launching of the MacIntels on January)

One rant wants Apple to open Mac OS X to all x86 architecture. The rant goes on about how expensive current Macs are and how much benefit Apple would reap if the license Mac OS X to other PC makers.

Syracuse.com dispels the myths behind switching to a Mac like vulnerability to viruses lack of programs.

Robin Bloor extols on Tiger's Spotlight and Automator.

Peter Burrows of Business Week prefers Rhapsody over iTunes Music Store.

The Woz says he gets "the worst, worst software almost always from Apple" and adds that the third-party apps are sometimes better than Apple's apps.

There are some news this week that I found a tad bit stupid. It's not the news story that's stupid but the subject of the story.

After Creative blantantly rip-offs the 5G iPod, BBC reports that Sim Wong Hoo said that his company will "pursue all manufacturers that use the same navigation system." He is referring to the menu system currently in all iPods with screens. He then adds that they didn't copy the 5G iPod's design, that they had the Zen Vision: M in the works for months, and their player is better since it has a built-in Mic and FM tuner.

After talking trash about Apple for several months, Rob Enderle is admitting he was wrong when he said the switch to Intel will hurt Mac sales. He then goes on to say IBM, Sony, and Google are at risk on 2006. I suggest people shouldn't listen to his "forecastings." He doesn't do his homework right.

More 5G iPod: review, praises, and gift guide

Mac News World heaps praises on the fifth-generation iPod though the reviewer did run into problems during installation.

Paul Thurott consider the iPods as great for gift-giving and the iPods offer the buyer an opportunity to choose across the lineup based on cost.

Chris Riemenschneider considers "the iPod as the greatest gift to music lovers since Garth Brooks went into retirement," but calls the iPod video player [sic] as "dumbest invention since clear beer."

Playlist Mag offers a gift buying guide for the holidays: cases, speakers, headphones, and stereo accessories, general accessories, and auto accessories.

Creative rip-offs the 5G iPod

An addition to my list of rip-offs, Creative just released Zen Vision:M. The menu looks the same and looking at it straight front it could fool you. But sideways, it's obvious that Creative just couldn't hack it. It's more than twice as thick and 30 grams heavier. Oh, it costs $30 dollars more and it comes in white, black and green(?).

While Creative waits for Apple's lawyers to knock on their doors, Microsoft already has its share of legal trouble namely, South Korea fined the company for $32 million and told it to ship a stripped down version of Windows sans the media player and instant messaging system.

The Peacock and the Apple (or how the Peacocked pecked first before the Fox)

Last week, we read articles about how Fox executives were interested in putting content in the iTunes Music Store. Well, they might be interested
in talking but NBC's done with talking and already offers several shows on iTMS.

On December 6, NBC added "Law and Order," "The Office,"and "Surface" to Apple's line up of shows from ABC and Disney. NBC also added “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and “Late Night with Conan O'Brien.” Classic shows are also available for download, like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” from the 50s, “Dragnet" from the 60s, “Adam-12” from the 70s and “Knight Rider” from the 80's. The Emmy Award-winning "Monk" from USA Network is also made available, as well as, Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” and "Battlestar Galactica mini-series."

A video announcement was released at the same the announcement was made.

Even though there are already 11 new shows on iTMS, Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal TV, says that there will be more shows to be made available in the incoming weeks.

With another content provider on board to provide shows for iTMS, Apple seems to be on to something. But according to Playlist, the videos from iTMS have some disadvantages like the low resolution the video is encoded on. There's also the question of how much should a show be worth? Why does a 5 to 10 minutes skit cost the same as a 40 minute show? Also, even when NBC came on board, the selection is still pretty limited. But NBC did promise to add more shows and perhaps when other networks see this they, too, will start offering shows.

The Fox and The Apple; The 1G and The 5G

Slow news weekend again. So i'm getting all the interesting stories that I can get my hands on.

News reports says that Fox's co-chairman said that they are open to talks with Apple. If Fox and Apple shake hands, it would bring shows like The Simpsons, 24, and a whole lot more available for download in iTMS.

It has been said that the 5G is a lot thinner and hence less bulkier that the 1G iPod. Well, pictures says a thousand words.

From Jason Ball's Flickr's site.

The iPod rip-off list

Irregardless of whether it is just a fad or not, no one can deny the popularity of the iPod. It has about 80% of the world's marketshare in digital music players. It is so popular that people like Sandra Ali and Nick Wingfield will write something about the iPod just to get attention, and get links and clicks to their articles online. And just like Sandra and Nick, other companies also can't help themselves to try to emulate Apple's iPods.

Did I say 'emulate'? Why not just say 'copy'. Most of the copycats rip-off the mini's design, color, or both. The shuffle also has been victimized. I'm just waiting to see if they can do the same for the nano.

Here are a list of copycats of the iPods. Some of the links go to other blogs or websites. I'm going to try to look for the links to the products themselves.

1. Micromaxx MM42452 from Medion (Germany) More links: DiscountNews I can't find Micromaxx's webite
2. ABOSS i-Pocket (Taiwan or China)
3. Unnamed mini rip-off (China)
4. iZon This is not even a digital music player. It's just a FM tuner
5. "iPod" (Turkey)
6. Super Shuffle A publicity stunt according to Luxpro
7. Super Tangent Again, from Luxpro but this time its being sold as a product

5G iPod: a flash back

I was cleaning out my old bookmarks in Firefox. You know, those links that you think you are going to read later and you keep putting them in a bookmarks folder but eventually forget about them. My ratpacking has gone digital.

I chanced upon an article in Business World online which was written on October 3rd and it talked about the much rumored video iPod and how Jobs was still dismissing the idea of such a device. But just ten days after the article was written, Jobs introduced the 5G iPod. This goes to show how secretive Apple is. Everyone can spout rumors but nobody will know until Jobs says so.

The article also discusses about Apple's competitors and what their attempts to bring to market a video playing device. Content is key, the article goes on, and Apple's competitors are said to be in talks with networks to provide content for their video players. I quote:

"And by adding the ability to download shows such as Desperate Housewives or sports clips, competitors hope to beat Apple to the punch in wooing consumers."

Isn't it funny how things work out?

Not only did Apple release an iPod capable of playing video, it also pulled off the one other thing that mattered when you have a video-enabled device: the content. And just like a slap in the face, Apple gives people the opportunity to watch Desperate Housewives while on the go. The iTunes Music Store with video downloads ws introduced and provides content for those who wants to watch America's top two TV shows on a 2.5" screen, among with Pixar short clips and music videos.

The the 5G iPod is not the "video iPod." Jobs still insists that it would be a bad user experience. Instead, the video-enabled iPod was released together with the iMac G5 with Front Row. As much as the article was able to somewhat hit the mark with the "video iPod" and Desperate Housewives to watch on it, no one ever guessed about the new multimedia PC that is the iMac G5. And as almost all reviews about the new iMac goes, it is Front Row that gets the most attention. That, and the fact the iMac doesn't have a TV tuner.

The release of the 5G iPod, the new iMac with Front Row, and iTMS with video was a well orchestrated event, and just like a play, it would not have been complete if one of the actors was not present. The three must be present and shown together because one depended on the other. Some people might have missed the point of the new iMac. Apple was not just introducing an upgrade for the sake of quenching the Mac cultists' thirst. Instead, the new iMac was a way to justify the iPod and iTMS's introduction. The scenario would have been much different if only the iPod and iTMS were releaed. Apple and Jobs would insists that it's not a "video iPod" but rather a video-enable iPod. So if you are not supposed to watch Lord of the Rings on the 5G then what are the video on iTMS for? That's where the iMac completes the triad. You can watch videos from iTMS on your 5G but for a better viewing experience, use Front Row to browse through the videos you downloaded off iTMS and watch it on a 17- or 20-inch iMac.

'Nuff said.

Macworld San Francisco 2006 news

Macworld 2006 will be held on January 9 to 13 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.

I'll be posting news and related internet items here.

Starting with...

Nitrozac and Snazzy's Joy of Tech. I honestly can say that I can relate with it. I'm anticipating it more than Santa and his bag of goodies. Unless Santa can give me the latest MacIntel Powerbook and iMac.

IDG World Expo announced on December 1 Steve Jobs will deliver the keynote address to open the Macworld Conference. The keynote is scheduled on January 10 at 9:00AM (that's 1:00AM of January 11 here in the Philippines). This is a no brainer news. Like "Duh!"

Stay tune for other news about Macworld 2006. If you want to check out the latest on the expo yourself just head to their news center or subscribe to their RSS eed.

I'll post more news and updates as soon as they come.

iPod news

Macsimum News reviews the 5G iPod. It goes into the details of the screen and video support, then into the missing Remote Port. Macsimum News give the fifth-generation iPod a 8 out of 10.

You have your new 5G iPod that can do videos but where can you get those videos for your iPod without having to pay $1.99 for it. Then head over to Veoh.com and you will be able to download over 3,000 videos for your iPod. I've been to the site and it requires you to download thei software before you can start downloading videos. I think I'll wait for reviews about this service before I start downloading stuff from them.

The iPod is popular. Now that's an understatement. It owns about 80% for the world's marketshare in digital music players. But being on top comes with a price as exemplified by Nick Wingfield and Sandra Ali. Nick Wingfield's article starts with a title alluding that the iPod is to be blamed for the rise in piracy. Sandra Ali, in the meantime, calls the 5G iPod as a potential smut device, saying that a website already offers porn for the video-enable iPod. Ali seems to forget that porn has been available in the net even before the 5G iPod came out. You don't need an iPod to view porn on the go. There are mobile phones and PDAs that can do that. Ali clearly is just trying to ride on the iPod.

"Everyone wants to be a DJ", says Brian Toro, a manager of a bar in Chicago. Bar Louie allows people to share their music by giving their iPod to the bartender. The bartender then plays the music selection the patron wants to share with the crowd. Amateur DJing, according to John von Seggern, a laptop DJ and producer in Los Angeles, along with podcasting, blogging, and musiciand and suthors selling their own works shows the movement towards decentralization of media.

The iPod, according to Apple Matters, is not a fad that refused to die, but a calculated effort to keep a product as hip as long as possible. Read the story on the execution of a marketing strategy that has one product see itself reincarnated several times and better the one previous it.

Apple seems to just had it. Apple sent a letter of complaint to a South Korean company to stop copying the design of Apple's products.

There is an increase in the sales of the iPod shuffle and the 2GB iPod as holiday shoppers are looking at the price point rather than on storge capacity. When the iPod nano came out, the 4GB was outselling the 2GB version and analyts and naysayers said that the 2GB was a mistake and that Apple shouldn't have bothered releasing it. But Apple seems to have an ability that's close to precognition, foreseeing the consumers concern for price during the holiday season.

Lastly, who says the iPod is just a fad, a craze, an expensive music playing device? The iPod also is worth investing in for your intellectual improvement.

iMac reviews, 10 things for a switcher, and FUD for thought

Walt Mossberg calls the latest iMacs as "a new gold standard for PCs." It has become quite obvious that the iMac G5 has now stopped being just a PC. PCs are so ubiqitous these days that the iMac certainly stands out as a multimedia center with a PC. Not the other way around.

Macsimum News gives the 17" iMac G5 good marks in its review. The same complaint is echoed in this article: the lack of a TV tuner and a modem. Another complaint is the the inaccesibility of the the iMac's innards. Only the memory slot can be accessed easily.

Even CNN has gotten into reviewing the iMac, and as usual the review goes into Front Row and how much different it is to Windows' Media Center. There's the same complaint made by Macsimum News, namely the lack of a TV tuner and its lack of expansibility.

But for every good review, there's a bad, messy, poorly done one. Matthew Fordahl reviews the iMac G5 for TMCnet and makes the mistake of telling people that there's no way can the iMac output video.

Seriously...
For those who are now thinking of switching to Macs, Paul Stamatiou has written the "10 Things A New Mac Owner Should Know." This is great for curious Windows onlookers, switchers-to-be, and just-switched.

But switcher-wannabes be warned. It's not all perfect in a Mac world. Take for instance an online banking customer's experience with Bank One and JP Morgan Chase. They don't like Apple and its Safari browser.

FUD all around
An Apple Matters article talks about the recent report from the SANS Institute which becomes FUD fodder for Windows users courtesy of Robert Lemos. Apple Matters cites Robert Lemos for being misinformed and downright messy.