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?