Burn, burn, burn...

the fire is ready for the marshmellows! A Macnight thank you and farewell to Al Lewis who no doubt gave us many childhood memories and laughs. I know I'm late with this but the end of the year is typically when we review all those that have passed over the last year. A little known fact about him is that he ran for Governor of New York in 1998 as a green party candidate. Have a marshmellow for Al. Happy New Year.

That's more like it!

On this Friday, December 22 2006, the iPod shuffle is number 1, 30 Gb iPod with video number 2, silver iPod nano number 3, and 80 Gb iPod with video number 4 on the Amazon Electronic bestseller list! Order is restored in the universe!

Interesting look at the Zune

There's an interesting interview with Bob Cringely (who used to work at Apple) regarding the Zune. In his case, he thinks the Zune is actually a decoy to its exploits with the XBox. Fascinating.

Interview

Amazon Best Seller List

For the first time in like a month, the iPod Shuffle rose to the top of the Amazon best seller list for electronics. The last several weeks it has hovered around number 21, and today (this morning) it's on top! I find it so interesting to watch online shopping preferences fluctuate. In fact, right now the MP3 players are totally dominating electronics, whereas the last few weeks a couple oc camera models have been going crazy! Why is the shuffle on top right now and not before? Any theories?

Cisco beats Apple to the punch

A recent article describes Cisco's latest gadget. It is called "The iPhone". Yes Cisco has the trademark for the name iPhone so Apple is out of luck using that name for there supposed new phone. Cisco released the phone under there Linksys division. So now what should Apple call there phone. My suggestion is "iCon" as in connection. It keeps you connected to the rest of the world and the silly pun can't be missed. For better or worse.

Link to story.

Zune is on clearance

You knew it had to come down to this. Amazon has a clearance type section for I believe is products they want to clear out of inventory. For a short time you were able to buy a white Zune for only $90! This was far below the asking price of $250. And Microsoft even said that the $250 price was a loss for them. I hope Amazon did not take the loss for this inventory. If they did, then they might think twice about stocking the next version of Zune Microsoft is hyping. This probably goes for other merchants too. I saw a big Zune display in Sears. Of course Sears has not been a trend setter for quite some time.

Apple stock still shooting for the moon

Apple stock continues to soar lately. A major investment firm ( name escapes me ) just raised it's projected price for Apple from $90 / share to $110 / share. I am not sure what is driving this directly. Is it mostly based on projected holiday iPod sales? Is it in anticipation of future products at MacWorld in January? Such as the iPhone or iTV? One other article I read said that the Macintosh side of the business is growing very well too. Much faster than the PC market as a whole. All in all, it's all good.

SanDisk is Apple's real competition!

I have been checking the Amazon bestseller list for electronics, and although the black 30 Gb iPod is consistently the top MP3 player, SanDisk occupies the second and third slots! Right now the Zune is a non issue, but the SanDisk player is a serious competitor at the low end. I heard SanDisk is selling these things for huge discounts, and when you look at them, they really are cheap! It's a little disconcerting!

What, no iPods to North Korea?

So you go and develop nuclear weapons to try to take over the world and where does it get you, without iPods. This should lead to the kind of revolution that will topple the likes of Kim Jong Il. He doesn't look too happy about this monumental decision. The little guy will just have to be content with his Michael Jordan basketball (thanks alot Albright). No news yet on whether the Zune is prohibited. Of course there should be a glut of Zunes available after the holiday.

Zune still dropping.....

The Zune sales popularity according to Amazon (Electronics) is:

Black - No. 93
Brown - No. 346
White - No. 556

I heard MS sales goal was low to begin with. About 500,000 Zunes total.

Home Theatres at Risk?

I found an amazing article that, if true, indicates new lows for a segment of the entertainment industry. Apple is increasingly intertwined with how entertainment is distributed, so I feel this is a relevant issue. The upshot is that the MPAA is considering a registration fee for Home Theatres because other people can come over and watch a DVD without having paid for the DVD. This is stunning if it is true! Any thoughts?

Home Theatre Registration

Beatles on iTunes?

Gentlemen, do we dare hope for the ultimate iTunes coup? Can Apple woo the mightiest name in popular music to the most popular online-MP3 device combo in the world? Will Apple release the iPod Beatles special edition iPod? Can we hope for music nirvana? Is the best truly yet to come?

I touched a Zune

Of course I had to wash my hand many times over to sanitize it though. But seriously, I did touch a Zune in person at Best Buy. I didn't spend too much time with it but here are my impressions. Having a big screen was a nice feature but it seems like a cheap big screen. The resolution is the same as the smaller iPod screen and you can tell. The overall feel of the device is that it was smaller than it looked in pictures but did not have that "hand in glove" feel of the iPod. It seems unusually thick for it's size. The substitute pad where the click wheel would be felt just like that. "The click wheel fell off and we glued on this four button knob." Very cheesy. At least some of the other MP3 players tried to come up with an alternative to the click wheel. Even Dell's sensitive strip seemed better. I did not get a chance to listen. The thing was glued to the counter. All in all, it did not feel like a real competitor to the iPod. Of course the game is not over and the iPod needs to keep innovating because Microsoft has shown that given enought design monkeys in a room and enough time and money, they can make a competitive product.

Zune is number 42 and dropping fast

According to an article online * the Zune has dropped to 42nd most popular item on Amazon.com. And has continued to dropped in popularity since its introduction. I just did a quick check for "Best Sellers" in electronics on Amazon and found that the Zune has dropped again to 55. Of course the number one seller is the 30GB black iPod. There are even other MP3 players besides the iPod which are ranked higher than the Zune. Of course the advertising blitz may not have hit yet, but so far not a lot of takers.

An iPod can save your life!

A young man was saved by the light of his iPod in Oregon after getting lost on a mushroom picking excursion. The man was lost in an area with thick underbrush when nightfall came. He did not have a flashlight so he used the light from his iPod to lead the way. Rescuers saw the faint glow of the iPod from a distance and saved the man after 20 min of hacking through the brush to get to him.

Once again, another compelling reason for owning an iPod.

Link to the story.

Zune Press

Gents,

The press on the new MS Zune has been 'acceptable' at best, and downright questioning the reason for its existence at worst. Thoughts?

-Le

Nancy Long - Latest Switcher

Well, after 6 long, boring years, my mother-in-law has officially made the change from her dinosaur Dell (Dull) to a bright shiny new iMac. The Dell made so much noise while crunching info that you could barely hear each other in the same room. The new iMac is whisper quiet and the screen has her jaw still on the ground. She is not a heavy user but will no doubt benefit from the ease of use of her mac. My wife and I have been working on her for the last few years and now she has come over from the dark side. So the next switch commercial just may feature a senior citizen on the right side, "I'm a mac". I just want to know when I should expect my 10% commission from Apple for my presale cohersion.

John Martellaro's Zune analysis

Gerntlemen, there is a columnist who I highly respect who has a fascinating take on the Zune player. He is extremely intelligent (in my opinion) and has great insight into things Apple. He has a different take on the Zune player than we have, and It's a great read. Here it is:

Zune Column
I'm very interested to hear what you guys think!

The Zune Unwrapped

Here is a blog of a guy who bought a new Zune and posted the pictures online. It's interesting...

Zune Unwrapped

The Brown Zune

Will the brown Zune become known as the "Zune Turd"? I can't help it - I still can't believe they're going to sell a brown Zune! At the same time, the brown Zune does receive quite a bit of press, and some say there's no such thing as bad publicity! November 14 is the big day - it'll be intersting!

2G iPod Shuffle sales

Some of you may know that I periodically check the online Apple Store to see what is the best seller. I'm not proud of this, but I am not ashamed either. I am neutral.

Anyway, I was shocked to find that the Shuffle is now the number one seller on the Apple Store. For months the iPod nano was the best seller, even after they started taking preorders for the Shuffle. Now that it's shipping, it's the best seller! Phil Schiller said they were very happy with the Shuffle sales. They must be selling a ton of them!! This may be Apple's runaway hit this holiday season!

MSN Music Store closing!

Gentlemen, the MSN music store that opened in 2004 to compete with iTunes has officially closed its doors!
MSN Music Closes Doors
They hoped to compete with iTunes, but I guess it's abandoning that avenue in favor of Zune. Things sure have changed!

I think we can agree that with cell phones taking on music capability, that's where the iPod needs to go. All the signs point there!

Unpacking an iPod Shuffle

Gentlemen, here is a link to photos of the unpacking of a new iPod shuffle. This clearly reinforces the Mac addict's obsession with the packaging (or, I should say, unpackaging) of new Apple products. I admit to having some of that obsession myself!

iPod Shuffle disrobing

Macs at Harvard

Reports are coming out that nearly half of the personal computers sold at Harvard are Macs. Wow! Things sure have changed! The fairer platform is making its move!

Happy Birthday, iPod!

Well, gents, it's been 5 years for the iPod. Five years and 76% of the marketshare - not bad!!

-Le

Gartner article rebuttal

I see there are others in the business world who are as appalled as I am at the Gartner article. Check it out:

Business Week Article

Apple out of Hardware Business?

An article by Gartner said that Apple should stop making hardware and license it's Mac OSX to Dell, letting Dell manufacture Macs in the future. I try not to laugh because I want to maintain an open mind until I see what you guys think. Here is an excerpt:

"The future success of Apple, Dell and Intel lies with a licensing deal between Steve Jobs' company and the PC maker according to analyst Gartner," Andrew Donoghue reports for ZDNet UK.

"Increasing component costs and pressure to cut its prices mean Apple's best bet for long-term success is to quit the hardware business and license the Mac to Dell, analyst firm Gartner claimed on Tuesday," Donoghue reports.

Donoghue reports, "In a surprisingly ambitious report, called Apple Should License the Mac to Dell, Gartner says Apple should concentrate on what it does best — create software — and make use of Dell's production and distribution infrastructure. 'Apple should leverage its close relationship with Intel and team up with Intel's closest ally, Dell,' the report states. 'We recognise that this move would surprise and even shock many. We are aware that Steve Jobs cancelled previous Mac licences when he took over at Apple and that he guards the Apple brand zealously.'"

"Apple increased its share of the PC market to around 4.6 percent in July this year, according to analyst figures," Donoghue reports. "Gartner claims that with the right partners, distribution channels and a more affordable price, computers running the Mac OS could eventually account for 20 percent of the total PC market."

"Apple will not be able to substantially increase this growth on its own because of increasing pricing pressure, Gartner warns," Donoghue reports. "Apple's margins for its Mac business, currently around 40 percent, are only sustainable because component makers such as Intel choose to prop up the business, Gartner claimed."

the Red iPod

Gentlemen, the new iPod (ProductRed) is out with a brilliant red hue. Will it sell? More, or less, than the coveted black 8 Gb iPod?

R.I.P. Tower Records

Gents,

Tower Records is no more. It has been sold for divestiture and dissolution. They really have only themselves to blame - they simply refused to change with the changing market. But, it's quite unfortunate - end of an era.

The Tower.com site may live on, however, as it was sold separately.

-Le

RUMOR - Wireless/Video iPod nearing completion!

As the title says, it's only a rumor, but a powerful one! Not only wireless, but also widescreen as we have drooled over! Any independent confirmation? It would be AWESOME, especially before the holidays!

Now Target?!!

Gentlemen, it appears now that Target is upset with online movie downloads, and they want "equitable pricing" for DVD's. One can assume they mean comparable prices for their DVD's. Does it make sense? Online you don't get the same video quality, you don't get extras, you don't need packaging. I don't get it! Anyone else? Comments?

Target gets mad

The $249.99 Zune

The price of the Zune is set to match that of the 30 Gb iPod with video. Is this enough to bring the masses on board? Microsoft admits they will take a loss on the product at the beginning. They have done the same with the XBox, and it seems to be doing well. Can Microsoft repeat the same trick with the Zune? Comments?

Wal-Mart Bites Back!

Gentlemen, we have heard it before, and this article appeared in the New York Post:

Walmart Bites Back

Are things supposed to work like this? It doesn't sound very nice! Comments?

Imagine the Zune commercial

Since Microsoft likes to mimic Apple I can only imagine what their TV ad will be for the Zune. Imagine a series of dancers trying to sway this heavy brick through the air while it leaves a glow of brown streaks. Now that image should really drive up sales. Not.

125,000 movies in one week

125,000 movies in a week purchased from the iTunes store- is this significant? It sounds like a good chunk of change when they charge betweem $10 and $15 per movie. I don't feel I have a good handle on how important this number is, though. Any thoughts?

The Zune Revealed - except...

Well, Microsoft revealed the new Zune! Colors are white, black and ... brown! They did reveal, except we still don't know how much the Zune will sell for, how much their songs will cost, how much the Zune weighs (according to MS), or when it will go on sale. They say it will be available for the Holiday season.

Has anyone heard more? Comments?

ipod nano spoof

New iPods!! And...iTV!!

Well, we now know. The iPod with video isn't bigger, but now it has games. The iPod nano comes in aluminum with colors and a higher top end. The shuffle got smaller, and everyone's got better ear buds.

I was disappointed at first about the iPod with video - why isn't it bigger? But with iTV, I think Apple isn't aiming at watching movies on the iPod, but rather on the high definition TVs. The iPod is more of a storage device when it comes to movies.

Movies at higher definition, but not HIGH definition - I think they are avoiding what in my opinion is a mistake for Amazon. Amazon does offer high definition, but at a download time that most people really don't want to be bothered with! Later, when broadband speeds increase, it will make sense to download high definition content, but it may not be ready yet.

What do you think??

Amazon Unbox

Does the new Amazon video download service threaten whatever Apple unveils next week? I know we don't know what Apple will unveil, but will it offer something comparable? I know the video quality is supposed to be better on Amazon, but those download times are sure long! It'll be fascinating!

Zune brick

I was reading up on the new Zune player. The thing sounds like it is going to be a brick. The thickness is 1.8in. Not exactly portable. One of the touted features of the Zune is the Wi-Fi capabilities for transfering music to other players and possibly downloaded from networks to the Zune. But a review that I read said that Wi-Fi is power intensive and will quickly drain the battery. Maybe that is why the device is going to be so big. Even Bluetooth would have been better, because it uses far less power.

An executive at Microsoft acknowledged that in order for the Zune to compete with the iPod it will have to be cool. It sounds like carrying a portable power hungry brick is not what I would consider cool. But its just one man's opinion.

Burger King "FryPod!"

Gentlemen,

So as not to be left at the station as the iPod Express steams by, Burger King has introduced the "FryPod!" It's an order of french fries that comes in a container that is supposed to fit neatly in a car's cupholder, thereby making eating on the go less troublesome - although, it looks the same as always to me. I found this highly amusing, while at the same time wondering if Apple will seek legal action against the company for trademark infringement.

-Le

Special Event Scheduled!!

Showtime, gentlemen! Tuesday September 12, huge announcements! Rumor has it there will be a new iMac with 23 inch display and Core2Duo, refreshed iPods and online Movie store! Anyone hear of anything else? Comments?

We've been spammed!

Have you noticed the spam comments from Annonymous on our blog? Then they have links to ads. To combat this I have turned on word verification where you need to see a picture of a word which is twisted in shape to post a comment. This avoids automatic spam to post comments. I hope this fixes the problem and doesn't cause too much inconvienence.

Google CEO on Apple's board

Any thoughts about Google's CEO being on Apple's board now? I think it can only be good. A united front against the bohemouth Microsoft gives you strength in numbers.

I never understood how you sitting on multiple boards for different companies is not a conflict of interest. Where do you stand when an issue regarding your other company comes up in board meetings? What if the Apple board said they wanted to do a streaming video site like Google's. Do they ask the guy from Google to leave the room?

Windows Vista "Ultimate"

It was recently leaked that the "Ultimate" version of Windows Vista will be $399! Man, that's a steep price, don't you guys think? I mean, these days a new bottom of the line PC may cost you $500. I love the fact that when you get OSX, you get OSX. The whole enchilada with all the bells and whistles. Comments?

Apple Store Parody

Check out this cool parody of the online Apple store. Caution: Some content is R-rated. Viewer discretion is advised.

Link Here.

Best Scroller in the World

Gentlemen, a mouse revolution is upon us, or so the article says:
Mouse Revolution
The idea is the scroll wheel is a metal alloy instead of plastic, and you can spin it for super fast scrolling through documents. Does this idea rock anyone's world? Do you have the urge to get one immediately?

Apple and Creative kiss and make up

Gentlemen, what do you think about the settlement between Apple and Creative? I was actually surprised that happened, given the animosity between them. Apple shells out 100 million and takes care of the patent issues, and could recoup some of that cash if Creative licenses to other companies. Also, Creative joins the ecosystem "Made for iPod" to produce accesories for the iPod. Did Apple sell out, or is this just good business sense? Comments?

Zune Details Revealed

Gentlemen, more details of the Zune have come to light:
Zune Details
I am surprised at the preliminary price point especially, and the fact that the Zune is bigger than the iPod with video. What do you think, gents?

Chocolate re-tasted

Gentlemen, I think you may find the following article on the LG Chocolate very interesting:
Chocolate Revealed

Comments?

When is all the cool stuff coming!!!

Are you also tired of waiting for all these cool Apple products that Apple says they have in the pipeline. It is already August and still no cool device. What gives? Where is the breakthrough next iPod? Are they waiting for the Zune, so they can take the wind out of its introduction? It's like waiting for Christmas morning as a kid. I hope it is a big as I imagine it will be!

How yummy is Chocolate?

Gentlemen, I have seen lots of ads for the Verizon "Chocolate". It has lots of bluetooth capabilities (headsets, etc.) and allows one to download songs wirelessly. Is this the dreaded "iPod Killer" that we have heard about over and over and over again? Any comments?

Jobs lays into MS, bigtime!

Was anybody else surprised at how Jobs dropped some zingers, attacking Microsoft for just being copycat company? Especially the one where he says that with all the money that MS has they still are just copying Apple and Google. And then the one about MS it is time to start up your photocopy machines when he was showing the new features of Leopard. In the past there would be some inuendo jokes about MS but it really seemed that Jobs was just irritated with MS's behaviour. Any thoughts?

No Leopard til January?

I don't buy that Apple will be holding off on the Leopard release til January. This may be a ploy to let MS breath easy. If they can get Leopard out by Christmas this would be a real coo. Imagine the bragging rights they would have as MS stumbles once again. I predict there will be a surprise pre Christmas release.

Is everybody happy?

Apparently not. Introduce the fastest computer and preview your next operating system (is this the fifth or sixth now) and people are whining about some silly phone to play music. Leopard rocks! Although where the heck are all those files that can be retrieved from "time machine"? That's a mystery to me. Nonetheless, it certainly looks worth the upgrade price. Even more so than Tiger. And once all programs are written to access Intel chip, you have a computer that will even satify the most demanding video producer. I may not be the targer market for gadgets and the Apple Movie Store is still probably a ways away but I think this was a very successful show. Your thoughts?

Cheers

Plastination - Mac Style

After having viewed the incredible exhibit of the human body preserved in a process of plastination with Stitch here in MN, I decided to donate my body for the furthering of science and the Mac. "No applause please." Oh sure, they already have the archer, the basketball player, the ballet dancer, the figure skating pair. But they don't have the Mac Fanatic hard at work at his or her Mac. Until now! However there is a condition to my donation, the Mac that I will be displayed with must be replaced with the most current model with each update loaded with memory. And the other condition is that my family jewels are NOT waving the breeze for all to see... Look for this latest exhibit coming to a town near you... of course after I pass.

Look at all the wonderful things Vista can't do!

It seems that Microsoft wanted to demonstrate how the new Vista was so advanced. So it did a demo of some voice recognition software, new to Vista. But being true to the Windows world, it failed miserably. It rarely got anything correct, and at times came up with some humorous results. It had the audience in stitches. Probably not what MS was hoping for. It sounds similar to the grammer/spelling/punctuation correcter in Word. How it knows what you meant and "fixes" it for you.

Actually Apple had a similar problem with the release of the Newton. The handwriting recognition was far ahead of its time but still not reliable enough for prime time. Of course this was while Jobs was not with the company. He would have never gone through with something which was so flawed.

I'm not sure why MS does this type of risky demo when the potential bad publicity would be far more harmful than the good publicity if it actually worked. Anyway it did amuse his audience, maybe that was the goal.

Link to story

Titanium G4 back in business

I have to pass along the good news that I have finally got my Ti G4 laptop repaired. You see, a couple of years ago I foolishly left my laptop out while it performing a system update. Well lets just say small children and laptops don't mix. My hinges on my laptop cracked. So the screen could not stay up on its own anymore. So my laptop became a desktop with a box behind it for support. But over time the screen was still moved up and down and eventually smoke came out of the hinge and the backlight was toast. I had been eyeing getting it fixed but the cost was still high. Over time the price did come down so I finally fixed it. MacResQ is the company. They did a fabulous job and even cut me a break on the inverter board which got fried. It is so nice to be back on the Mac again. Even though it is almost 4 years old, it still does most of what I need it to do. And the screen quality you just can't beat. No shiny surfaces to reflect glare just crisp, bright and clear images. It is a joy to use.

If you can't beat them, then buy your way in.

It looks like Microsoft is going full guns against Apple and the iPod. They plan to pump literally billions of dollars into convincing that Zune is the way to go for a music player. They don't even plan to make a profit until maybe 2008. It is a similar strategy as the Xbox which has lost about 1.2 billion dollars to date. One interesting feature they are adding is software which will search your iPod for songs you bought on iTunes and give you the same songs in their format for free. That's one way to buy a customer. This eliminates the hinderance to switch because most of your music is in Apple's DRM format. Looks like there could be some serious competition since MS has huge sums of cash to work with.
Apple is going to have to introduce innovations at an even quicker pace to keep up with the cash barage. Hopefully MS will just be dumping money down the drain but you can never count them out. With that much money it could become interesting.
On another interesting note, have you seen the Apple patent which seems to describe a touchless screen which actually senses your finger hovering above the device. So no more fingerprints on the screen, and then the clickwheel can go away and make way for a bigger screen. This is the coolness factor which can give Apple the leg up on MS.

MacMinni Banded No More!

I don't know what to say. I was temporarily booted from MacNight. It's lonely on the sidelines. Nothing but geeked out PC users on the outside. I had to protect my true identity. Even Might Mouse couldn't help me. But I'm back inside the safe domain again. I really missed you guys... I'm celebrating by watching the Jetsons and Flintstones on my laptop. They don't make 'em like they used to. Hey Stitch, did we chat enough Mac for you to be able to write off you trip to the Twin Cities? Later.

Check out this iPod accessory!

Now this is what I call a fabulous iPod accessory. It is an electric car which has a 0-60mph time of 4 seconds. Costs only about a penny a mile of electricity and was developed not by Detroit but by Silicon Valley.

But the big question is: "can I hook up my iPod to it". And the answer from their web site is: "The Tesla Roadster allows you to connect your iPod to the stereo using Apple's dock connector which not only charges your iPod but also gives you basic control of your iPod using the controls on the stereo. " I think they have thought of everything. Of course the catch is it will cost about $80K but it is faster than a Porche Carrera. But the idea is this is their flagship car and that they already have plans for a 4 door sedan in the works. Who cares if GM goes down, Silicon Valley is taken your place.

I read an article about this car in Wired which said the guy who started this company is an electrical engineer who made a fortune in Silicon Valley and is backed by a lot of top SV billionaires. He said his expertise is to get as much power as he can out of a battery. He had an early model iBook which he tweeked to get 20 hrs out of the Li ion battery. This car is based on a whole bunch of Li ion batteries as the energy source, as is a huge leap forward from the EV1 and EV2. There philosophy is to use existing technology such as Li ion batteries and let the computer industry innovations in battery technology trickle down to them.

Tesla Motors web site link.

Multiple Dimensions

This might be an off the wall post but here it goes anyways. In astronomy and quantum physics they try to explain how the world works with multiple dimensions. This is the basis for string theory which tries to combine gravity with the other forces of nature into a unified theory. While trying to explain another dimension they typically use the following analogy. Imagine that you only live in a 2D world such as a planar surface. You would be able to move forward and backward, left and right, but not up and down. If something from the 3D world were to pass through your 2D world such as a sphere it would appear as a circle which gets larger and larger and then smaller and smaller until it disappears as a point. It just dawned on me this is what it is like trying to explain the Mac world to a Windows user. They live in a 2D world and cannot even phathom what it is like in the 3D Apple world.

Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs

I know this is a little old (1999) but I thought it was too funny not to post. Noah Wyle is immitating Steve Jobs at MacWorld. Noah played Steve Jobs in a movie about the rise of both Apple and Microsoft. He also plays a doctor on the TV show ER. He has a lot of his manerisms down. Check it out!

Minneapolis Macnight meeting

I just got back from a trip to Minn. to visit Macmini and it sure was grand. It was nice to be in a place that lives and breaths hockey. I was able to go to the Schwan Super Rink which is a 4 rink hockey complex with deluxe accomodations. This is a place where hockey is played non stop. Games are played all through the summer even, and they plan to add 4 more rinks to the facility. This is a rink for junior hockey. Both boys and girls. They even have a TV monitor which displays the upcoming games on a scrolling screen similar to an airport. Yet this site is not unique, there are many more all around the city. I believe some of the hockey fever has drifted in with the airflow from Canada.

Minneapolis is also a Mac town. They have FOUR Apple stores in the city, which is a little smaller than Phoenix. You see Apple laptops everywhere you go.

It was a fun trip.

Apple 3rd Quarter!!

I can't imagine that my Mac buddies did not hear the awesome news regarding Apple's earnings for the third quarter. Defying naysayers, the Mother Ship beat analysts doom and gloom predictions of lower iPod sales, and also sold quite a few Macbooks in the process! 8.11 MILLION iPods sold in the quarter, and His Steveness is very excited about the iPod products in the pipeline! And 12% laptop market share is at a high not seen in years. Let us rejoice for a healthy Apple Computer!

Windows Vista re-introduced

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2Cf3zTvswI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFMwelwkHVA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UekU1gPZyA

WWDC - New iPod stuff?

Gentlemen, it has recently been rumored that Apple will introduce a "Movie Rental Model" for the iTunes music store at the WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference). Does this make sense? It seems to me that it has always been new Mac stuff introduced at the conference, not iPod stuff.

Anyone expect new iPod stuff this August at WWDC?

iPod Killer for real?

Gentlemen, the internet has been buzzing lately with rumors of Microsoft's iPod killer, the Zune. Supposedly one can download music directly to the player wirelessly. Additionally, the new player is supposed to have the same model of success as the iPod - it will have a dedicated online music store that caters to the new device, much as the iTunes music store caters to the iPod.

Is this enough to dethrone the iPod as the number one digital player on the market? Will consumers flock to the new device for the new features? What does Apple have to do to counter this competition?

Carefull, you may be under the influence.

Serious Video iPod competition

The Dish Network has recently slashed the prices on their Pocket Dish systems. The lowest priced one is shown here for $149! It has a 20GB hard drive and can store up to 20hrs of movies. It is made by Archos, which is has gotten very favorable reviews. You can plug it into your computer with a USB2 connection or into your sattelite dish DVR and download movie or TV show to your Pocket Dish. It can also record live without a DVR. No per show fees apply. I have noticed they put the issue of potential copywrite protection as the responsibility of the user. They have that in my DVR manual too, with a three sentence warning. If this takes off, would the movie and television industry be able to sue Dish Network like Napster? Anyway, it is quite a package for $149. They also have two other more enhanced models. And these will also play WMA songs, and play some games.

ny thanks you

I didn't use gman, hope that doesn't thought anyone off.

It's just a matter of time.....

I was just listening to a news story on the radio talking about Microsoft entering the MP3 / Video player market to compete with Apple. They plan to create a hardware device of their own. The story talked about how Apple makes virtually no money on their songs on iTunes and makes most of it with the hardware (iPods). The comment was that MS intent is the opposite. They don't care about how much they make on their hardware but want their DRM to become the standard. I suppose to charge for licensing. The final comment was that Apple has about 70% of the music download market and that it was just a matter of time before they would have to give some of that up. Why is it that the same logic is not used on MS for computer operating systems. You never hear that it is just a matter of time before MS loses some of its 90% share of the OS market.

Although it will be interesting to see if MS biz model will work. Since profits on their players are not critical, they could sell their player for less than Apple. Of course this does not account for economies of scale, which allows Apple to get parts for less cost. MS used a similar model with the Xbox market. Where they practically gave away the hardware, to make it up with fees from the software developers. And it worked there. Would the songs be the equavalent of the software for the Xbox. Where they have cheaper players but the real money is made for fees on songs. Would the more expensive songs scare too many people away from this. True a lot of speculation, but this is what this blog is for.

New York state of mind

Gentlemen, I'd like to nominate a candidate for our Mactastic blog. The Gman resides in NYC, has visited both Soho and Fifth Ave Apple Stores, owns 3 macs (iMac, a dying iBook and a dying G3) has an iPod and is well acquainted with all relevant OSX and Adobe software. If the Gman receives the adequate number of votes, agrees to the blog fees and agrees to share the love, Stitch, could you contact him add to the moderator list? "gordon@_________.com

Jobs' hand in Cookie Jar?

Did Jobs get caught with his hand in the options cookie jar? It looks as if Apple has been back dating stock options for it's top executives. But for some reason, this practice is not considered illegal as long as shareholders are notified of it. Even if this practice is fround upon as being unethical. So I am confused as to what the current issue is with Apple. The SEC is not investigating them at this time but Apple has contracted out an investigation of their own. Sound's like it is an internal power struggle and someone who didn't get these options may not be happy. Any thoughts?

Back on

Shucks, I don't know what to say. This is quite an honor, seeing your name all lit up in orange. (sniff, sniff) It's the same feeling I get when I visit my financial planner and I see my name on the welcome board. I feel like a "somebody". (sniff, sniff) Did I ever tell you, you're the best bunch of Mac addicts I know. I gotta go, I'm choking up...

Blue Ray comment

I have educated myself about Blue Ray vs HD DVD and here are my findings. HD DVD also uses a blue laser like blue ray. So the difference is in the technology. The Blue Ray can hold more than HD DVD ( 26GB vs 15GB per layer compared to 4.7GB for DVD ). Of course it would seem that the higher capacity would always win out but this is not always the case. If the current content available is not enough to fill the new blue ray disks then 15GB may be good enough and given they are cheaper, people may adopt this just out of confusion.

So I would say that it depends on the marketing and content. If the Blue Ray group ( not to be confused with Blue Man group) is able to convince people that you will have a richer experience and they have content to back it up, then this may become the standard. One problem that I see is how many people now currently have a TV which will play such a high definition quality. I would guess only about 25% if that. So the market may not be as big as regular DVD's.

I remember thinking that when SVHS came out that it would eliminate regular VHS but it never really caught on. I think there has to be a big enough leap in quality to make it justifiable for the extra expense. I am sure you can fit a full length HD movie on a HD DVD so the incentive to go Blue Ray not be too strong.

Net Neutrality Doomed?

I don't know if you have heard much about this Net Neutrality issue but it looks like the Congress is getting ready to sell the internet to the highest bidder. A Senete subcommited has basically done that. Even Apple and Microsoft are on the same side of Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality is the push to keep the internet open. Currently the carriers such as Cox or Quest do not monitor what goes through the pipe to your house they only charge you for having the pipe. What carriers want to do now is to monitor what is going through the pipe and charge an extra charge for "premium" content. Such as high speed video. In this way they can make deals with big content providers to to charge a premium for a certain type of content and then pass some of this charge to the content providers.

The big concern is that with this new potential stream of big dollars, the basic internet will be stuck at the current speeds or lower. In effect marginalizing other sites and making them seem of poorer quality. Eventually, all you will have is the premium content. The internet will turn into something like television networks.

It isn't a done deal yet. The full Senate has to vote on it and then of course the House. Personally, I wouldn't have any problem with this if you had many choices for service providers. But most people only have Cable or DSL, with one provider each. For me it is cable only since DSL requires being close to a substation to work.

Stanley Cup comes to the Apple Store in NY

My name is on the second ring from the bottom!

The Story

Sony boss: Microsoft copies everything we do

There was an interview with the CEO of Sony who made the following statement about MS.

"We seem to. Every time we go down a path, we look behind and they're right there - we just can't shake these guys. I wish that they would come up with some strategies of their own, but they seem to be going down the path of everything we do. If you look at their strategy in other business areas as well, they tend to do that."

How would MS survive without other companies to copy and innovate for them?

Link

Welcome Back, MacMinni!

I never forgot your comment on the widgets and how much memory they take up. Well, I downloaded a cool Automator action called "Widget Killer" which you can run to enable or disable the dashboard with one click! Don't get me wrong, I still love the dashboard, but I also like having tons of Ram available when I'm doing work.

Jobs goes to the Dark Side

Go to the Dark Side Now!

iTalk?

Check out this video of someone's concept of the potential new Apple cell phone with touchscreen. It looks pretty cool.

iTalk phone

Apple iMovieTunes

Have you heard the latest rumor about Apple offering full length movies for download by the end of the year. The rumored price would be $9.99 per movie. Of course since this is still a vague rumor, there are few details about the service. The prices could change and what DRM and rights as a consumer do you have. Does Apple require that you have some iPod equivalent for the TV? But this story does seem to have some traction and is being followed by many news services.

Apple and India Revisited

I recently read an article about Apple's pullout of India for it's call center. {Article Link} In it they give an explanation as to why Apple did pull out. The main points were that India is becoming more expensive everyday. Entry level pay has been increasing by 13% year after year, and manager pay has been increasing by 30% year after year. There is also more and more competition for employees so turnover has been high.

So it looks like the world is getting flatter. India's economy has grown so quickly that the very large cost incentive which drove corporations to flock to India has dried up. Now India will have to compete on merits alone in a more fair competitive environment. Of course there are many other countrys where pay is still very inexpensive so the cycle will continue. And Apple has stated they are looking at other countries as alternatives. But the pace at how pay equalizes I think is very surprising.

The Ultimate iPod Accessory

It's so Cool.

Next iPod

Gents,

Any commentary on the none-touch iPod rumor?

-Le

iCool Device

Wow, this is one cool device. It allows you to basically turn your video ipod into a DVR. You can plug this box into your TV, either with S-video or Coax and then setup the onscreen timer to record prespecified shows to your iPod hard drive. The TV does not even need to be on. They will play on your iPod video too without a lenghty conversion process. Plus the price is only $200!! They also have two other devices. One is an iLoad which will load a CD of music directly into the iPod without iTunes. Another is a small device which allows you to take the SIM card from you cell phone, insert it into iLoad-C and then download music from the cell phone carrier directly into your iPod nano.

Question is, will these help or hurt Apple's market? I think it will help because it could push more iPod video sales which is where Apple makes more money. iTunes may become less relavent though. The cell phone version I believe will be hindered by the high download costs from cell phone carriers. Apples plans for download video from iTunes may also take a hit. Although the Dish Network also has three models of portable video DVR's which are priced reasonably from about $299-$700 depending on the screen size and capacity. These download off of your home DVR so there are no per show charges.

The Format Wars Commence

Gentlemen, Samsung has fired Blue Ray's first shot over the bow, and the wars are set to begin. According to a Samsung representative, although the Blue Ray player that just started shipping is twice as expensive, they feel optimistic about sales. Even the new Blue Ray Movies are $30 as compared to $20 for the HD discs. They must have some huge huevos to feel so confident with those price differences. Additionally, the rep says there are 10 manufacturers working on Blue Ray players, and only one (Toshiba) working on HD players.

Are the cards stacked in favor of Blue Ray for superior technology, or HD for lower price point? We stand at the threshold of massive changes in our media existence, so choose your arguments carefully!

Bill Gates has left the building !

Its official, Bill Gates will be retiring from Microsoft after 2008. It is also rumored that Steve Balmer will leaving soon after. A changing of the guard you might say. I guess you can only make such mundane products for so long before you start pulling hair out of your head. No matter how much money you make.

Actually Bill is leaving for a noble cause. To give away his fortune to help needy people around the world. Well Bill, its been a fun ride.

Just thought this book was funny.

Future iPod??

I just found this. If it's real, it warms the heart to think of where the iPod might go! (Click on the title to go to this fascinating article)

New RAZR...

It was recently anounced that a new RAZR with iTunes capability was coming out soon this year. As you both know, I have been going through life "sans cell phone". Is this the phone I have been waiting for? Note that there is still a 100 song limit, but what I would like to know is, does it matter? Would one feel deprived without more songs? And lastly, is the much ballyhooed "iPhone" nothing more than "vapor hardware"? I could use the input, as I drool over Le's phone too much these days!

White or Black?

Le, we must set aside our petty differences, as there is serious work to be done! We must address the truly salient issue at hand: is the black Macbook worth the extra cost? I am inclined to opt for the white Macbook myself, but for the less than practical reason that it pays homage to the white iBook predecessor! What do you think, gentlemen?

iTunes boycott

Did you hear about a small iTunes boycott which was held over the weekend at a few of the Apple stores. The complaint is that the DRM (Digital Rights Management) is locking you into Apple and iTunes. If you want to leave with music you bought on iTunes you don't have a clean way to take your music with you.

Commentary:
I believe there will always be some people who complain that you cannot have all of your music for free and be able to freely copy it and give it to all of your friends. But the music industry will never be able to survive in this mode. They argue that when you owned CD's you were free to give it to anyone you wished. In a digital world, I think things are a bit different. You can make exact duplicates which until recently was not possible with CD's. You can still make a copy but the copy now as in the past was a little inferior to the original.

Core 2 Duo

Gentlemen, the revolution is not over by a long shot. The next generation of Intel chips is right around the corner, signified by the "Core 2 Duo", as compared to the Core Duo chip that has just shipped with the consumer iMac and Portables. Where will this next generation chip fit into the scheme? Additionally, will Apple make use of the so called "Core 2 Duo Extreme", which will appeal to the hard core gamers? These are exciting times!

Apple tops Beer on college survey

Did you hear about the survey of college students which asked "What is hip on campus?". The Apple iPod was number one in the survey followed by Beer. The company which does this survey has been doing it for years and it has been over 25 years since something has displaced beer as the number one item. Way to go Apple. Maybe they could have a Beer mug iPod and get the best of both worlds.

Speaking of Mac Mini

So, you can buy a Mac Mini for $800 that has a Core Duo. But, you can get a Core Duo for $1,100 in the form of a laptop in the MacBook. Isn't the pricing a little too close together?

-Le

Nike deal

What do you guys think of this Apple-Nike-iPod deal? A special sensor in a Nike shoe, and you have access to all kinds of information while running, like distance, etc. Will people use it? I think you also have access to special Nike music to inspire!

India Call Center is History!

Gentlemen, Apple just changed course and will NOT open a technical support center in India. Why the change of heart? Is it because they are not sure they can maintain their level of service to the Mac faithful? What's your take?

Sun layoffs - Ouch!!

My favorite server company is hurting and laying off 13% of its worforce. Let us pray for its recovery and unity against the satanic Microsoft beast.

Hello Again, Where did everybody go?

Stitch is in the house.

The New Macbook!!

The entry level Macbook is $1099. Is that too expensive? One thing I noticed is that it comes packed with great stuff. It also has core duos, and these things scream! I think maybe they should consider offering an entry-entry level Macbook, maybe the Macbook mini!! And it should be sub $1000, for the people who don't mind a crippled machine (an intel core solo).

What up, Stitch?

Stitch!! What up, man? Any commentary for the iPhone question?

-Le

iPod Phone

Predictions, Gents? Timing? Features? Organizer? Blackberry competitor?

-Le

Is It Really Dead?

OK, are we giving up on the blog, gents?!!

-Le

And award for best iPod content goes to.....

"The National Academy of Television Arts decided on a new category this year - outstanding original programming for computers, cellphones and other hand-held devices, including iPods."

OK so its not an Oscar but now the iPod is considered a viable platform for artistic expression in a moving picture format. Maybe the winner will also get a free iPod too.

So what's new??

Gents,

What's new in the world of Apple? I guess one of the big things is that Apple Corp is planning on making the Beatles music available for download, which will hopefully end the lawsuit.

-Le

Mac OS X-P

Gents,

Thoughts on the Mac OS X...err...OS XP? :-D Seems that the new Intel based machines will run XP just like a PC with the new software.

-Le

Green with envy

Another piece of information from the Apple annual report is the growth of the business overall. Apple's gross sales went from $6.2 billion in 2003 to $13.9 billion in 2005, more than double (ending FY Sept). You might think that the iPod is the primary contributor to this growth, but of this total sales only $4.5 billion ( about 1/3 ) of it is from iPod sales. The computer side of the business is doing well too. Looking at unit sales, Apple sold 4.5 million units in 2005 compared to 3.0 million in 2003. A 50% increase!
One last interesting note was there were 22 million iPod unit sales in 2005, while there were only 4.5 million computer unit sales. If even a few of these iPod owners are impressed enough to consider buying an Apple computer than there is a large potential upside to the computer sales as well.

Sue Happy

I guess Apple has finally arrived. They are in the middle of many lawsuits. I just received their Annual Report which shows Apple in the middle of no less than 26 lawsuits. I guess money attracts lawsuits. A lot of the lawsuits are for complaints of batteries not lasting long enough, or memory chips going bad. It seems these are things that the market can decide. Of course there is the one about iPods being too loud. And then the Apple Corps one too. There are also ones that claim patent infringement on very nebulous things such as "using a menu to find songs" or using the name Tiger from the company "Tiger Direct". Even Honeywell is suing Apple for something about liquid crystal displays. I am not a lawyer and I don't know of all the legal precident for many of these cases but I think the sheer number of lawsuits is more from the success of Apple than anything else.

Is it time for Apple to share some of its pie?

I believe it is time for Apple to start to license its music protection scheme. Apple may be making the same mistake as they did in the past with the Macintosh by trying to shut everyone else out. Apple could stiffle any competitive storm which may be bruing by licencing its music format. That way Apple still remains in control and reaps some of the joint profits. Plus it would take the wind out of the competition trying to dethrone Apple. Develop allies instead of adversaries. This would be for the music downloads, not for music players. Any thoughts?

Logo Wars

Come on Apple Corp, drop this foolishness. Not only is it clearly different in shape and color, it looks like it was designed in the 21st century. That green sour apple hasn't changed since I bought my first Beatles album almost 35 years ago. Clearly a company that is trying to be opportunistic and take a shot at a successful company. They wish they could sell a fraction of the music Apple has. Apple is now the hot target. They will win this one but there will be more to come. And lawyers will make lots of money. Cheers!

Avie Tevanian leaving Apple!

I dreaded the day I would hear this, and today is the day! Can Apple continue to innovate OSX as it has without this genius at the helm? What are your thoughts?

NY Times Headline - Windows is so slow - but why?

Poor Bill, he looks like he's at a total loss to explain why Windows XP has 35 million lines of code and Windows Vista has stalled again. When will all the lemmings wake up.

"Last week, in the latest setback, Microsoft conceded that Vista would not be ready for consumers until January, missing the holiday sales season, to the chagrin of personal computer makers and electronics retailers — and those computer users eager to move up from Windows XP, a five-year-old product.

In those five years, Apple Computer has turned out four new versions of its Macintosh operating system, beating Microsoft to market with features that will be in Vista, like desktop search, advanced 3-D graphics and "widgets," an array of small, single-purpose programs like news tickers, traffic reports and weather maps."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/technology/27soft.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

My New iMac!!

Well Gentlemen, I had to wait until the right moment to share with you one of the great joys we experience in life. For my 40th birthday, my wonderful wife got me a new 20 inch iMac core duo maxed out with ram. It was truly a dream come true, only matched by the Titanium Powerbook (which is still going strong, by the way!). I needed time to fully absorb the implications, and to soak in the glory of the moment. There can be no doubt that this is indeed a turning point in our lives, much as the Titanium Powerbook forever changed our lives. And gentelemen, this machine is indeed a screamer!!! I do realize this is a consumer machine, and this drives home the reality that when Apple releases the professional towers, they will go beyond even the high standards Apple has set up to now. The future is blazing hot, men!!