Flash RAM prices dropping fast

I read that Flash RAM prices are dropping fast. And the article said that stock analysts are predicting this will help Apple get even better profit margins. Normally I would hope that when companies get their raw materials or parts for less money they would pass the savings onto the customer. I am sure Apple will do some of this to stay competitive. But I am actually happy Apple will keep some of the profits. I feel that when Apple has more money for R&D they will continue to make great new products.

iPod to use OSX?

Do you think that Apple plans to change the OS of the iPod to OSX just like the iPhone will? It would seem like a natural progression. Plus it would allow Apple to support just one OS. I know that the full OSX is not in the iPhone, just the core libraries for graphics etc. I suppose it will depend on if the iPod has enough RAM to even run OSX.

iTV already taken?

Looks like iTV was already taken. There is a web site called www.itv.com. It is a site that broadcasts over the internet British television programs. I believe this may be the reason Apple chose to change the name from iTV to Apple TV.

Zune nowhere to be found!

Gentlemen, at last check, the much hyped Zune is nowhere to be found the the Amazon top 100 electronics best sellers. iPods are on top with various flavors, followed by the SanDisk players. I didn't think this would happen - Zune appears to be getting a butt kicking from one of Microsoft's original collaborators!

Cover Flow hoax?

Gentlemen, there is a YouTube video purporting to be the much balleyhooed "CoverFlow" option on iTunes on the iPod with video. Is it real, or is it an imposter?

Cover Flow iPod

"iPhone" a Go...

Cisco and Apple have reached an agreement on Apple's use of the name "iPhone." Good news, since that's the best name for the new device.

-Le

Can Macnight be Revived !!!

We are in a crisis. We are losing our audience. It looks like we are going to have to put on a much better show if we want to survive. Are you with me?

Stitch, here's a link to the Beatles story

Stitch, check out the link below about the Beatles not being on iTunes in an exclusive deal:

Beatles

And this information comes from the Beatles record company spokesperson. It could have been so great!

Did we lose Le and Macminni?

I hope the switch to the new blogger didn't cause such a headache that we lost Le and Macminni. If your out there, please give us a sign!

Apple to be trounced by the Kazaa creators

I was reading an article in Wired magazine about this new file sharing program called Joost. It is from the creators of Kazaa and Skype. Joost claims to be the new replacement for television via the internet. I know, everyone makes this claim, but Joost will be using the same file sharing peer to peer system that Kazaa and Skype have used to take the distribution load off of large centralized servers. And the developers have learned their lesson from Kazaa that they need to play legally. So it has high level encryption.

The basic idea is that content is originally stored on a central server along with the advertising to support the system. As people load Joost onto their computer, then they become a mirror site for content. Therefore the central server does not get all of the load of supplying content. This is the key breakthrough. For such a large system to work it needs to be distributed, otherwise the cost of these large central servers would kill you.

Advertisers are very excited about Joost because it allows them to target very specific markets with direct advertising. Not everyone who watches the same show will have the same advertising. The developers of Joost claim that because of this very targeted advertising, there will only need to be one small commercial for a 1/2 hr show.

I personally believe that this is a much more logical system than the central server, no commercial, pay $3 per show model that Apple is using.

At this time content providers are few and far between right now for Joost but there does seem to be an interest. The encryption of content goes a long way. The interesting thing is that Joost is built from a collection of free open source software combined into a fully integrated system. I hope Apple takes notice. This is the TV of the future.

Joost

No Beatles exclusive for Apple

I think it would have been a magnificent follow up to the iPhone announcement - an Apple-Beatles spectacular with a special iPod, etc., but it didn't happen! I can't help but think that Apple and the Beatles would be able to make so much money if they put their heads together for something special. Maybe there's still too much bad blood for them to work together like that. Is anyone else as disappointed as I am?

Market Capitalization Update

Back in Nov 2005 I showed the market capitalization of Apple and a few other companies. Here is the latest update.

Company Nov 2005 Feb 2007
Dell $70 Billion $54 B
Apple $51 B $74 B
Ford $15 B $16 B
Microsoft $278 B $287 B
Google $101 B $111 B
HP ? $115 B

As you can see, Dell is fading from popularity on the PC side of the biz but HP is taking off like gangbusters (sorry missing data for 2005). Apple has grown significantly. And the big MS snowball keeps getting bigger and bigger. Probably due to momentem no doubt. Apple is still playing in the big leagues!

Will Apple Corp be the DRM free record label?

Did you hear the rumor that Apple is going to release Beatles songs which have yet to be released. Big news in and of itself, but the real kicker is that they plan to do this without DRM attached. The article that I read, which was actually on Schwab.com, said that Jobs is planning to start a new revolution without DRM.

You have to wonder why Apple Corp made such grand statements after the Apple/AppleCorp deal. From the article on Schwab.com they said:

This week, Apple Inc. and the Apple Corps Ltd. announce an agreement bringing this statement from the Beatles music company manager, "The years ahead are going to be very exciting times for us." (This is also the guy who would have the new tracks from the vault.)

I am going to do some wild speculation here and say: It sounds like Apple Corp may become the record company which supplies Apple with DRM free music. You know that Apple must have offered something really big for Apple Corps to make such a bold statement about the future. I don't think just providing Beetles music on iTunes would have prompted this type of response. If Apple Corp does go this route maybe this will prompt some musicians to sign with Apple Corp which will free Apple from the DRM stranglehold. You can tell that Jobs is very unhappy about how the labels are forcing the DRM on them. Plus with all of the latest lawsuits, the writing is on the wall. Apple's agreement with the record companies says that if there is a breach in the DRM system Apple has only a few weeks to fix the problem or the record companies can pull out all of their music libraries. Am I nuts? Apple has always said that they don't make the money with iTunes, its the iPod that brings in the cash.

Apple TV dropped out, but...

Stitch, Apple TV officially dropped out of the top sellers list on the Apple store, but guess who's back on top - the iPod shuffle!! I'm assuming the shuffle's new colors is causing the stir! So cool - release exactly the same iPod, but add color, and get an instant surge of sales (it was number 3 just a day or 2 ago)! Awesome!

Steve Job's letter on DRM

Gentlemen, what did you think of Job's letter about the state of the DRM? A norwegian official already criticized Job's letter, saying Apple was distributing the music, so they were responsible for providing the music free of DRM to ensure customer choice. I just don't understand that - if Apple gets rid of the DRM, in the current climate the record companies will rescind their ability to distribute the music. I don't get why the Norwegian official still suggests that. Any ideas?

Gates tirade

Bill Gates is pissed about Apple stealing all of their ideas. This Newsweek article of an interview with Bill quotes him saying that "Apple steals our ideas". It is pretty amazing if he really believes this. I think the only ideas Apple has ever gotten from MS is the ability to tab between applications quickly and the three button mouse. He also comments about Steve Jobs in a not so friendly way. Oh he also says MS invented the idea of "File Edit ..." menu layout. Enjoy the article.

Gates tirade

Apple TV dropping in popularity rankings

I noticed that the Apple TV has dropped considerably in the most popular rankings at the Apple online store rankings. It was the last item that they ranked. I guess it is better than not making the list. I think it would be premature to buy something like that at this time. It only works on a high definition TV but iTunes max format size is only 640x480. While HDTV goes up to 1080i. Will you be able to upgrade to the higher definition later if you buy content now? It still is almost twice the resolution of regular TV at least but still not as good as DVD. I suppose its all due to bandwith limitations and download speeds.

Wow - all the changes at Blogger caught me!

Gentlemen, the chances caught me off guard! Good thing I already had a Gmail account!