Apple

from scotsman.com

NO SOONER had Apple Inc made peace with the Fab Four's record company Apple Corps, than the software giant's chief executive began a war of words with the 'Big Four' of the recording industry.

from ilounge.com

In a rare move, Apple CEO Steve Jobs as written an open letter on Apple’s digital rights management (DRM) system used on the iPod and iTunes. In the letter, Jobs explains why Apple has implemented its FairPlay DRM technology, and explores three alternatives for the future—continue the current DRM scheme, license FairPlay or abolish DRM entirely. Jobs’ letter is in response to mounting pressure from European countries which say Apple is forcing limits on consumers. Jobs says that persuading the major record companies to allow iTunes and other stores to sell music DRM-free is the right move. He says Apple would embrace selling this open music “in a heartbeat.”

from ilounge.com

Apple Inc. and The Beatles’ Apple Corps said today that they have ended their ongoing trademark dispute and have entered into a new agreement over the use of the Apple name. Under the new agreement, which replaces one from 1991, Apple Inc. will own all of the trademarks related to “Apple” and will license certain trademarks back to Apple Corps. The companies said the terms of settlement are confidential. Apple Inc. won a trademark lawsuit brought on by Apple Corps last year, with a UK judge ruling that the company could continue using its logo on the iTunes Store.

from playlistmag.com

The Beatles’ noticeable absence from Apple’s iTunes Store could soon be a thing of the past if a report in Fortune proves to be correct. The Time Warner-owned business magazine is reporting that Apple is close to a deal for putting the British rock group’s music catalog online. What’s more, Fortune reports, Apple could be on the verge of becoming the exclusive online source for Beatles downloads for a limited time.

from ilounge.com

During Apple’s fourth quarter conference call, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook reaffirmed that the second-generation iPod shuffle would ship to customers and stores before the end of the month.

“We will ship by the end of October,” Cook said, later adding, “We’re excited to get shipments underway in a couple weeks.”

from ilounge

Following last week’s new iPod introductions, Apple has added a slew of refurbished iPods to the online Apple Store and substantially cut previous refurb pricing. Apple is currently offering the original 2GB iPod nano (both white and black) for $99, the original 4GB iPod mini (gold, silver, blue, pink and green) for $99, and the second-generation 6GB iPod mini (silver, blue and pink) for $129. The company is also offering original fifth-generation iPods at a discount.

from ilounge.com

Based on reports from European Apple enthusiast websites and last night’s YourMacLife radio broadcast, Apple is in the process of inviting members of the press to a special event for new products, to be held on September 12, 2006.

As I was posting news last week, I found some things that just didn't fit in the "news" category, but I thought were interesting just the same.

The first was this iPod packaging parody video that hit the net last month on YouTube. It has since been removed from that site, but can now be found on Google Video . It pokes fun at Microsoft's tendency toward clutter by imagining how the company would have designed the box for the original iPod.

From iLounge

Coca-Cola and Apple will launch a European iTunes promotion this month, giving away 70 million songs in the UK and Germany. “The alliance with Apple signals an end to the group’s ambition to develop its own presence in the online music market,” reports the Financial Times. “The company launched its own music download site—MyCokeMusic—in Europe in 2004 but the service was closed this month amid fierce competition from iTunes and others… Apple declined to say whether its deal with Coke could be extended to the US and elsewhere or whether it precluded further promotions with Pepsi.” The talks between Coke and Apple were first reported in June.

From iLounge

In a Chicago Tribune article on faulty iPods, an Apple spokeswoman said that failure rates for the device are low, and that an iPod is designed to last four years. Apple’s Natalie Kerris said iPods have a failure rate of less than 5%, which she said is “fairly low” compared with other electronics. “The vast majority of our customers are extremely happy with their iPods,” she said. Rob Enderle, analyst at the Enderle Group, estimates that 15% of iPods will fail within one year of purchase. He said that’s comparable to other gadgets, such as cell phones. The Tribune article also cites a 2005 survey by MacInTouch, which includes reports from more than 4,000 respondents. The survey found that of the 9,000 iPods owned by the respondents, more than 1,400 of the Apple devices had failed. The survey reported a total failure rate of 13.7%, about half battery related and half hard drive related.

From iLounge

Apple has updated its support website with a new section covering the new Nike+iPod Sport Kit and related services. The new Nike+iPod support area offers several support documents, technical specifications and FAQs, including information on wireless capabilities, battery performance, and calibration. The new section also provides troubleshooting tips, a discussion forum, and a helpful video tutorial.

Here is an excerpt from an exhaustive look at exactly how the Nike + Sport Kit system works. The full article at iLounge has many photos of the various pieces of the product, inserting the sensor into a running shoe, screen shots of a nano with the system working on it, screen shots of connecting to Nike for sharing and storing running data, etc. If you are considering the Nike + Sport Kit system, you owe it to yourself to read the full article. And then review it at fitPod .

From iLounge

Announced in May by Apple and Nike at a joint press event, the Nike + iPod Sport Kit and compatible Nike+ ("Nike Plus") shoes are now in stores. Consisting of a small, red and white wireless 802.11 sensor/transmitter and an all-white iPod nano receiver, the Sport Kit tracks a runner's performance and sends data to the nano for recording and synchronization with iTunes. In order for the kit to work, the sensor must be inserted into a pocket within the shoe - one that could be improvised by a user without Nike+ shoes, but more easily achieved with them.

From iLounge

During CNBC’s “On The Money” this evening, sports reporter Darren Rovell provided the first look at the new Nike+iPod Sports Kit, saying he was “very impressed with it” and that it “could change the running world.” Following a first-hand test of the kit, Rovell proclaimed that it could “kill treadmills and membership at gyms” and “really change the way people run and how people think about running.” According to Rovell, the iPod nano was chosen for Nike+iPod support because the majority of nano owners use it to work out, with Apple’s Greg Joswiak noting that the nano is the most popular iPod model. A Nike exec added that the kit will work with 4 million shoes by the end of the year. Also during the CNBC segment, it was revealed that Apple and Nike plan to spend “no money” on advertising the kit and will “rely solely on buzz.” Besides launches at Nike and Apple Stores tomorrow, the only additional marketing planned for the device is its use by Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong in his preparation for the upcoming New York City Marathon.

Have any of you fitPodders tried it yet? If so, let us know what you think! Tell Us

"Transform your iPod nano into a personal workout coach with the Nike + iPod Sport Kit. This wireless sensor and receiver combination works exclusively with your Nike+ shoes and iPod nano to give you real-time feedback during workouts and let you track your performance on your Mac or PC."

From iLounge

By Larry Angell, Senior Editor, iLounge

Apple today released iPod and iTunes software updates to add support for the Nike + iPod Sport Kit and related services. According to release notes, iPod Updater 2006-06-28 brings Nike support for the iPod nano, as well as a volume limit feature for the iPod shuffle, and various bug fixes. Apple said the iPod update includes iPod Software 1.1.2 for 5G iPods, iPod Software 1.2 for nanos, and iPod Software 1.1.4 for shuffles, but that it contains the same software versions as iPod Updater 2006-03-23 for all other models. The just-released update of iTunes, version 6.0.5, allows users to sync Nike + iPod workout data to nikeplus.com and track their progress.