Will the iPad blend? Now we know
With all of the iPad excitement that there has been for the past week, there has also been a lot of people wondering if the iPad will blend as easily as the iPhone did. Thanks to Blendtec, we now have out answer...
Apple’s 9-9-09 event thoughts…nap time!
Greetings readers!
Now that I have woken up from the sleep that Apple put me in, I figure I should comment on the very underwhelming event where Apple launched a couple of new iPods, changes some prices and launched iTunes 9.
Lets start off with the big news, Steve Jobs is back! It is great to see that Jobs is back and acknowledging his liver transplant which apparently came from an organ donor that was killed in a car accident. That said, either his shirt is really large or his is skin and bones with saggy man boobs which you can see in the picture below from gdgt. I would say he really needs to gain some weight. Less vegan food and a few more Big Macs would do him good. Anyway, he gave us some impressive numbers about 30 million iPhones being sold, 20 million iPod touches, and 1.8 billion apps have been downloaded.
Steve Jobs presenting at Apple's 9-9-09 event. Credit: gdgt
On to iTunes! It seems Apple is jumping on the ringtone movement that died out long ago by selling over 30,000 ringtones for $1.29. Nice job at keeping up with current trends Apple! Next time, I recommend jumping on the bandwagon before the wagon has been abandoned in a field with only one wheel left. That said, I do like the look of the new iTunes as it has more of a Zune Marketplace kind of feel in some areas. The ability to manage apps directly from iTunes looks to be a great feature as well as bringing the Genius technology used to bring you the music you like to apps to help you find apps you might like. Finally, the iTunes LP stuff looks pretty impressive, especially if you are a music fan who likes pictures. Now onto the iPod news!
The first part of the iPod news talking about how it is a great gaming platform and such was real snooze of the show. While I do enjoy a couple of the games on my iPod Touch, they are trying to make it sounds far superior in nearly every way to the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP. IT IS NOT! I will admit it has potential as a gaming device, but a touch screen will never beat the controls you will find on any handheld gaming device going all the way back to the Gameboy. Actually, I feel like ranting on this more, so that will be the focus of my next post, but I will let it go for now so we can focus on other iPod related news. Apparently Apple thinks that at the low price of $200, people will want to get an 8GB iPod Touch. 8GB Isn't enough to take most people's music collections, rather less video and apps. This was done purely to undercut the Zune HD who's 16GB version (the smallest size) is $220. Personally, I would prefer the far better audio experience and double the size for the extra $20. Apple can play the price war all it wants, but value speaks volumes. Speaking of the iPod Touch, the new 64GB version sounds nice but it needs more features, like maybe the camera everybody was expecting which came in the iPod Nano.
Before I talk about the Nano, the iPod classic has been upped to 160GB which I think is a bit too big. Not too big for a large music collection but who really needs to carry around 400,000 songs with them? I would call that overkill. Anyway, back to the Nano. It seems the Nano is getting the rumored camera that everybody figured the iPod Touch would get too. They didn't say much about the camera other than it could do video and had a mic. I would say its certainly a good update and a good play against the Flip camcorder but I wanted to see it on the iPod Touch as well since it is far more capable than the nano and would have some real uses for it. Oh, and both the nano and the shuffle have a bunch of new colors for those that care about about fashion. I have always found the many colors idea of gadgets kind of pointless but I guess I am not the average person. I am a proud owner of a poop brown Zune, so clearly I have no fashion taste. The only other noteworthy thing in relation to the Nano is the fact that it is getting an FM radio. For my opinion on that, scroll back up to the bandwagon comment since the Zune had this from day one as well as a good number of other portable media devices. If they really wanted to impress me, they would put in an AM radio.
That was pretty much the event. No Beatles, no camera in the iPod Touch, no Rolling Stones and no Mac tablet. The event was pretty much a big snooze and I am amazed that the stock didn't drop more than a whole 1% considering it usually plunges on even good release events like this. There is one image that they showed that I think speaks volumes about the idea of an Apple netbook. They talked about how the iPod Touch/iPhone are basically portable computers and showed an image (seen below) of some body trying to shove a Dell netbook into their back pocket. I think this is a good indication that a netbook isn't coming and that the closest thing you are going to get to one is and iPod Touch.
Apple tries to put a Dell netbook in its pocket. Credit: gdgt
What did you think of the event? Exciting? Boring? Did Steve Jobs look healthy to you? Share your thoughts in the comments!
iTunes 9 breaks Palm Pre syncing
Greetings Readers!
From what I have seen, today's Apple event was largely a snooze. I did find one interested tidbit though, it seems that iTunes 9 (which I will be upgrading too as soon as I get home) has broken the syncing feature on the Palm Pre...again!
I predicted this would happen when the sync feature was announced. I generally like to compare this to Sony's fight with the PSP Homebrew scene since that is the best game of cat and mouse I can think of when it comes to hardware doing what it wasn't meant to do. It will be interesting to see if Palm can fix the problem with the WebOS 1.2 update that was due out yesterday but delayed.
If you have a workaround for Palm Pre owners, post it in the comments!
Microsoft finally advertises its biggest advantage over the iPod, cost
Greetings Readers!
Microsoft has unveiled their latest attack on Apple, but this time it doesn't involve anybody going to a retail store and purchasing a laptop. This time Microsoft is setting its sights on the iPod. The latest commercial attacks Apple for not having a subscription service on iTunes for music downloads. Without a subscription service, they claim it will cost $30,000 to fill a 120GB iPod with mp3s. Microsoft's Zune on the other hand, has an unlimited music service that is $15/mo for unlimited music downloads. It would take over 166 years of a Zune Pass subscription to equal what it would cost if you were to fill a 120GB iPod from iTunes. I believe that this is a great move from Microsoft. When you talk saving money during hard economic times, people are going to listen. Much like the Windows ads, I think that they can do the most damage to Apple if they push the issue of cost.
Of course the commercial doesn't give you the whole story, otherwise you might not be compelled to switch. All music downloaded with a Zune Pass comes with that dreaded DRM garbage that the rest of the world is moving away from. Without the pass, you can get DRM free music but not with it. The subscription has DRM so that you continue to subscribe to the Zune Pass. If you don't keep your subscription renewed, you will end up with a bunch of music that won't play. That is the downside of the Zune Pass. You get to keep 10 songs a month I believe for free but everything else will die if you don't renew. Microsoft paints a pretty picture with the commercial, but everything has a downside and this is one they hope you won't notice. Of course you could crack the DRM and eliminate that downside, but that is not legal. As much as my pirate nature would like to share information with you on how to do that, I am not looking to piss off Microsoft, especially when I have the desire to work for them at some point. Anyway, below is the new Zune ad that attacks the idea that it would cost $30,000 to fill an iPod.
Apple’s Keynote Disappoints Yet Again, Secrecy to Blame
Greetings Readers!
Much like everybody else, I was glued to my laptop yesterday for yesterday's Macworld keynote from Apple (I even live blogged the event), only to be disappointed. While there were a few decent announcements (DRM-free music on iTunes and new prices), the event was almost entirely a snooze-fest.
There are many reasons that could be used for why the event was so boring, everything from the lack of Steve Jobs to the fact that most of the rumored items that people had been hoping for didn't show up, but I believe the main reason is Apple's constant secrecy surrounding all of its events.
Apple has a history of being secretive about everything until the moment it is announced. Sure, there is the occasional leak, but on the whole, nobody really knows anything for sure until its announced. This can certainly give Apple the shock factor when something big is announced, but ultimately, I believe they are shooting themselves in the foot with this strategy.
The secrecy that surrounds the events leads to two things, over-hype and rumors. These are the two largest causes for disappointment at any Apple event. The rumor mill usually starts working overtime around a month or so before an announcement, spinning off every wild idea from the retirement of Steve Jobs to an iPhone Nano (which I still believe is an idea that is beyond stupid) only to end up leaving people with higher expectations than they should have. No company can make everything and hit a home run with every press event, but thanks to the rumor mill, it is expected of Apple. If Apple would reveal what its events were about before hand, it would largely kill the over-hype caused by expectations created from the wild internet rumors. Opening up about the events would allow the hype to be adjusted down to a reasonable level.
The over-hype is really a big problem. Thanks to the rumors and crazed Apple fans, Apple events become over-hyped which leads to a feeling of under-delivery. Asking people, mainly journalists, to come from around the world to cover your products when you tell them nothing about what you are going to talk about is a bit much. If people knew beforehand what is going to be discussed, they would determine if their presence is required and ultimately the expectations and hype around the event that bring people from around the globe would be at a more manageable level.
While any coverage is good coverage for most companies, if Apple expects to have happy customers and stock holders, they need to kill the rumors and over-hype by being less secretive. Apple's stock tends to swing quite a bit around announcements and I think that if Apple wasn't so secretive, these huge swings would not exist. Secrecy might be warrented in some cases, but unless there is a major shift in company strategy, being open and letting people know what they are in for is the best way to control reactions from events such as this.
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Macworld 2009 Apple Keynote Liveblog
I am live blogging the Apple Macworld 2009 keynote speech. Click the link below to watch the coverage!
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Apple Announces it is Leaving MacWorld, Shoots Itself in the Foot
Greetings Readers!
After feeding the animals at work I came back to my computer moments ago to discover, thanks to Twitter, that Apple is no longer going to be at MacWorld after this year. Not only that, but Steve Jobs isn't even going to give the keynote for this years MacWord.
To say that this movement is shocking is an understatement. I never thought I would see an announcement like this. It has been clear for a while now that Jobs seems to be trying to get out of the spotlight, but to have Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, give the speech is rather surprising. Having somebody other than Steve Jobs give the keynote is a huge hit to Apple fanboys everywhere (or at least the ones on Twitter who are crying about it). A move like this really makes you wonder why Apple is doing this. Is a product launching that Jobs doesn't like? Are there no major products to be announced? Is Steve sick? Is he quitting the company? I expect this speculation and many other rumors to run wild over the next month after this announcement.
Apple has been scaling back on trade shows for quite a while, but to leave their last major trade show has me asking myself one simple question, why? If the press release is any indication, Apple seems to think that it is too big to be at trade shows. With Apple successfully launching products at its own events, I don't think that it believes it needs to be at trade shows anymore. Whether they believe they have become too big for trade shows (keep in mind that even Microsoft does trade shows) or they just don't want to share the attention with other vendors when they make announcements, such an elitist attitude can easily lead to their downfall.
Before this announcement, I thought Apple's future was rather bright. Now, I am wondering if this is the beginning of the end. One thing is for sure, with an announcement like this, the stock is certain to plunge tomorrow. I also hate to see what this does for the other companies that are at MacWorld now that the spotlight won't be on the event like it has in the past. This is only the beginning of this story and I believe it will get uglier before it gets better. I will post again as this situation develops and my opinions change.
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-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Apple Recalls iPhone 3G Ultracompact USB Power Adapter
Greetings Readers!
Apple has announced they are recalling the iPhone 3G ultracompact USB power adapter because apparently the prongs are known to break off. So far nobody has been hurt, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that change if a baby or pet gets a hold of a broken prong and tries to swallow it.
The recall affects all iPhone 3Gs sold in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico and several other Latin American countries. They say to stop using the adapter immediately although a replacement won't be available until October 10, 2008. Replacements can be ordered online starting that day as well as exchanged at the Apple stores. The downside of ordering online is that once you do, it will take 3 weeks to get it. You will also have to give them the serial number of you iPhone 3G. I guess until then you will have to charge it with static electricity by rubbing it on the carpet.
For more details about the recall, head over to Apple's recall page.
This makes me happy that I am not an iPhone owner and generally stay away from first generation devices, no matter how much I may want them (I am considering the iPhone 3G a separate product since there are a number of changes from the original iPhone that I would say makes it a whole new product).
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
Microsoft Looking for Exclusive Content for Zune, Spins Wheels
Greetings Readers!
As most all of you are aware, the Zune has never lived up to anybody's expectations in terms of sales. In a far distant second place, Microsoft sells as many Zune players in a year as Apple sells iPods in a month. While it is a competent media device, there is nothing that really makes to Zune stand out as a must have device over the iPod with the exception of getting more GB for the price. Before I go any further, I should say that I am a Zune owner and will gladly point out its good points and bad when asked as I have no loyalty to a device or its manufacture. I merely purchased it because I got the 30GB version for $100 last Black Friday. Anyway, with a third version Zune still a ways away, Microsoft is trying to find any possible way it can to gain ground in the portable media marketplace.
Microsoft's latest move to try to gain market share is around exclusive content. They are trying to take the idea behind the game console market and apply it to the portable media market. While the model of having exclusive content to sell the platform would likely work if it had a larger presence in the portable media player market, I don't think it has much of a chance of working right now. Since Microsoft waited so long to get into the portable media player market, it is in a position where it has almost no chance of unseating Apple as the king of the portable media market. When you are in that kind of position, if you have any hope of gaining a reasonable amount of market share, you must have a product that is 50% or 100% better than your competitor. Microsoft didn't do this and it has hurt them. There is nothing that separates the Zune from the iPod in terms of functionality. Without some kind of big distinction, they will have a hard time promoting themselves as something other than a cheaper alternative that doesn't have the special things like the App Store. Microsoft must improve the base functionality that ships with the unit before exclusive content can make a real difference.
When you look at the gaming console market, the exclusive content model works great and always has, as demonstrated when consoles come bundled with games whether its the PS3 coming with Metal Gear Solid 4 or the NES coming with Mario Brothers. The reason that this model works here is because no console ever got to the truely dominant position or where one system tried to come out after another one already had 90% of the market. When a new generation of consoles is released, its around the same time, with similar technical specs (the Wii is a special case here as Nintendo went in another direction) so the software, the exclusive content is what really drives the sales of the consoles. Even though the Xbox 360 has similar performance to the PS3, if it wasn't for exclusives like Halo, it would not be where it is today.
Microsoft is trying to do the same thing with the Zune, get outside media companies to make shows or other kinds of content exclusive for the Zune. While this is a perk for existing Zune users, its going to have little affect on the adoption rate of the Zune or its position in the portable media player marketplace because its not on an even playing field where it is just looking for something to set itself apart.
At this point, Microsoft almost has to wait for the next release of the Zune to have any hopes of competing with the iPod. Sure, firmware updates will get you a long way, but the hardware must be more capapble before it can be a real threat to the iPod. At this point, Microsoft is just spinning their wheels with this unless they are using it as a launching platform for the third version of the Zune. If they can create a base of existing exclusive content to complement a vastly improved third version of the Zune, they might have a chance, but exclusive content on its own in this market situation is just a case of throwing money at a situation that isnt improving.
-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray
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