« August 2005 | Main | October 2005 »
September 30, 2005
Still Sick
It's Friday, and I'm still not over the cold. I got the music lined up for the show today and was on the verge of recording it, but I thought since it will be my first show in a while, I should at least wait until my voice returns to normal. So, I am pushing back the ETA for the podcast to Sunday, which shouldn't make too much of a difference, since the majority of subscribers don't listen to podcasts on the weekends anyway. Regardless, you can look forward to a brand new EDP waiting in your iPodder client Monday morning.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 08:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 28, 2005
EDP on its Way
Well, it's been a while, but I just put the finishing touches on the notes for the next EverythingDigital Podcast, which I will hopefully record this Friday. I would do it sooner, but I'm currently suffering from a bit of a cold, so I think waiting a couple days might make for a much better listening experience.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 08:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 16, 2005
Apple Computer: Week in Review
It's been a busy past couple of weeks for our friends at Apple Computer. With a myriad of iPod-related announcements, a major iTunes update, and Apple's first steps into the mobile phone industry, the company continues to bolster its stake in the digital music industry, as well as the electronics industry in general. For now, let's take a look at some of the recent announcements.
iPod nano
It's got the look, feel, and, quite possibly, scent of revolutionary thinking, and represents yet another historical undertaking in product design. The iPod nano gives the appearance of something you might use in the kitchen to, perhaps, spread butter, and at .27 inches thick, that might very well be possible.
Replacing the iPod mini as Apple's mid-range iPod, the new device has a color screen that rivals that of the standard iPod, and a fully-functional click-wheel to boot. Apple claims the nano will hold as many as 1,000 songs with its $249 4GB configuration, meaning that the $199 2GB nano should hold about 500 songs.
Apple has opted to drop the colorful variety previously available in the mini, and focus more on the basic white and black options in the new nano.
As stated in Apple's ad campaign, the iPod nano is 'impossibly thin.' This is partly due to its complete lack of FireWire support, despite its standard 30-pin iPod dock connector. This means that older Macs without USB 2.0 ports face the tediousness of transferring music and podcasts at USB 1.0 speeds. Also, the nano excludes the remote port, typically found next to the headphone jack on iPods, and an essential part of many accessories' compatibility with the iPod.
Despite its disadvantages, the iPod nano is an incredible addition to the iPod lineup, and a product that, as many who have used one have said, is impossible to pick up without wanting one.
iTunes 5
It's bigger, it's a bit clunkier, and it doesn't add a whole lot. That pretty much sums up iTunes 5, an update that provides support for the iPod nano, and (with a separate add-on update) the Motorola ROKR phone. The new version also includes enhanced search capabilities, playlist folders, a Smart Shuffle feature, and a new graphical appearance.
The new search capabilities include ways to easily specify the type of audio file you are searching for, and hopefully find things more quickly. While not revolutionary, it is an improvement that is worth checking out.
Playlist folders provide an additional level of organizational hierarchy for music categorization, allowing the user to group playlists into folders to be viewed all together or one at a time. Depending on how you organize your music, this can either be extremely useful, or something you might never even notice, but since you can put folders inside of folders, the possibilities are truly endless.
Smart Shuffle doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It allows you to control, via the "Playback" preference pane, whether songs by the same artist or on the same album will be played together more or less frequently during shuffle. As far as I can see, if a user wants to hear songs from a record in succession, they will use the iPod's "Albums" menu, or iTunes' browse function. It seems as though Apple is complicating the previously simple functionality of the shuffle button.
As for the new interface, I am growing used to it. At first, the blueish sidebar and oversized mini player felt a bit odd, but the minor interface changes seem to be for the best in the long run.
Motorola iTunes-Enabled ROKR Phone
A project that has been in the works for much longer than originally anticipated by the Apple rumor community, the new ROKR handset is the first phone to incorporate a fully functional iTunes/iPod interface.
That said, the $249.99 device, distributed by Cingular Wireless and bundled with a two-year service commitment, holds a mere 100 songs, a definite advantage considering the fact that it takes 30 seconds to transfer one 4MB music file. Yes, that means it really does take 50 minutes to fill up the entire device the first time, and an additional 50 minutes every time you want to refresh that 100 song collection.
All in all, not a bad couple of weeks for Apple. With the iPod nano, iTunes 5, and ROKR out the door, they may be able to focus on some more important things, like, say, releasing another update to the Powerbook line. One thing is for sure, with all the money generated from iPod nano sales, Apple is definitely going to have some elbow room for the future.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 10:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 05, 2005
EverythingDigital Podcast 2005-09-05
Updated iTunes phone rumors, an Australian court's ruling against Kazaa, HD DVD delays, Skype's plans for expansion in China, my new sponsor, how Massachusetts is dumping Microsoft Office, the planned absence of a keynote at Apple Expo Paris, and Epson's mini-projector.
SHOW NOTES: HTML | OPML | TEXT
DOWNLOAD THE MP3 | 27:48 | 12.8 MB |
Posted by Alan Joyce at 04:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Maybe, Just Maybe, an iTunes Phone?
For as hyped up a product as it is, the Motorola iTunes phone is certainly running behind schedule. It was at Macworld Expo that Steve Jobs first talked about the new product, and ever since then the Apple rumor sites have been turning out countless rumors about its "upcoming" release.
Now, after so much waiting, we have another rumor. This week, Apple announced that it would be making a momentous digital music announcement on Wednesday, September 7. It is unknown whether this press event will even concern the long-awaited iTunes phone, but analysts and industry insiders alike believe that the time is right for such a release from Apple.
It has also been reported that Cingular may be the first carrier to incorporate the iTunes phone into its lineup, and that the company may even be working on something more than just servicing the new model. Sources say that Apple and Cingular could be working on a wireless version of the iTunes Music Store, allowing music purchases and downloads to be carried out straight from the mobile phone's interface.
While still unconfirmed, these rumors definitely suggest that Apple may have quite a bit up its sleeve for the Wednesday event.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 12:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
HD DVD Looking at a Late Start
It looks like Toshiba's next-generation HD DVD standard is suffering yet another setback in the battle with Sony's Blu-Ray over the chance to be the new hi-def DVD standard.
Yes, in addition to recent, devastating poll results showing that consumers greatly preferred Blu-Ray, Toshiba is at a loss in announcing that it will not be launching its new DVD format this year, but will instead be waiting until next year for the debut. This change of plans will almost certainly eliminate the advantage HD DVD might have had over Blu-Ray if Toshiba had launched it this year.
Posted by Alan Joyce at 12:05 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack