Apple’s lawsuit against Think Secret, and its attempts to subpoena information from AppleInsider and PowerPage, are threats to a free press, according to curmudgeonly pundit John C. Dvorak. Long noted for his criticisms of, and occasional praise for, Apple, Mr. Dvorak sees a ruling from a California judge declaring the Web sites as not being…
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Apple Discloses 2004 Exec Stock Option Profits; Rubinstein Rakes in $26M
In its annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple said Jonathan Rubinstein, senior vice president of its iPod division, collected $26.3 million in value from exercising 3 million stock options last year. For 2004, Rubinsteinis compensation included a restricted stock grant valued at about $6.3 million and a salary totaling $485,216,…
Napster CEO Calls Steve Jobs "Frightened"
< A href="http://www.napster.com">Napster CEO Chris Gorog wasnit pulling punches in an interview with Engadget published Monday, saying that Apple CEO Steve Jobs must have been frightened to send out an e-mail to record execs pointing out holes in Napster security. In the interview, Mr. Gorog was asked about the iPod, which he called your grandfatheris…
TMO Reports - Analyst: Concerns About Sony & Napster Hurting Apple are "Overdone"
Concerns about Napster’s subscription service and Sony’s flash memory-based portable music players eating into Apple’s iTunes Music Store and iPod sales is overdone, according to a Wall Street analyst. In a research note obtained by The Mac Observer, JP Morgan’s Bill Shope raised his estimates for the March quarter to earnings per-share (EPS) of US$0.24…
Microsoft Discontinues MSN for Mac OS X Software
A fter May 31, 2005, MSN customers will no longer be able to access Microsoftis Internet service using its Mac OS X software, the company announced Friday. Mac customers who want to continue using the service will be able to tap into MSN and read their e-mail through any Web browser. “MSN for Mac OS…
Motorola Cancels iTunes Phone Launch; Rollout Possibly March 23 (UPDATE)
Motorola spokeswoman Monica Rohleder told the Chicago Tribune that the company decided not to unveil the phone Thursday at the CeBIT electronics convention in Hannover, Germany after discussions late Wednesday night with “our operators”, meaning carriers such as Cingular, Vodafone, Verizon and T-Mobile. “Motorola discussed the logistics of this product with our carriers across the…
Piper Jaffray: Sony, Yahoo No Quick Match for iPod, iTunes Dominance
Despite a 12% drop in its share price over the last week, Mr. Munster said he believes Appleis competitive position “is strong and in some segments may become even stronger.” Speaking of Sonyis Monday announcement of nine new flash-based portable audio devices, Mr. Munster said, “Sony will only be successful at chipping away at iPod…
Just a Thought - Blackberry and Bluetooth
On a recent Monday morning, as I plodded, zombie-like, to the break room at work to get a cup of joe, I passed Elizabeth in the hallway. Being the ever friendly guy that I am, I offered my traditional morning greeting, "mornin’." "Good morning," Elizabeth chimed; she is a diminutive, perennially upbeat person who can…
Reuters Examines Subscriptions vs. iTunes
T he effect of subscription music services being a threat to Appleis iTunes dominance in the music download business is the subject of an article by Reuters. The article postulates that iTunes is facing pressure from subscription services, which it says "may be on the verge of explosive growth." The article comes on the heels…
TMO Exclusive - Average iPod Owner Shelling Out $150 on Accessories, Study Finds (UPDATE)
The average U.S. iPod owner is spending about $150 on cases, cables, adapters and other accessories and there is little evidence that trend will subside any time soon, a consumer survey has found. A survey by the market research firm Envisioneering Group found that American consumers who own an iPod are spending on average half…
iPod Chip Maker Boosts Battery Life With New Processor
P ortalPlayer, the company behind the processing brains in Appleis iPod and iPod mini, announced its next-generation solution Thursday, the PP5022 System-on-Chip. Building off of the PP5020 featured in current iPods, the PP5022 has dramatically lower power requirements, which the company says could extend battery life by up to three times in devices that use…
Duke to Decide Fate of iPods in Two Weeks
D uke University will deliver the final decision on its iPod initiative in two weeks time, The Chronicle reports. The university, which outfitted 1,650 freshmen with 20GB iPods six months ago, has had mixed experiences incorporating the music players into the curriculum. While the number of teachers using the iPod has increased this semester from…
Synaptics Admits its Technology Part of New iPods
Synaptics filed a Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying that while it believes itis inappropriate “to comment on unconfirmed rumors and speculation” about its business dealings, “we are confirming that our interface solutions are being used (by Apple Computer)” in the new 6 gigabyte (GB) iPod mini as well as the 30GB…
Playlist Offers First Look at Second Generation iPod mini
C hris Breen has posted a First Look at Appleis new iPod mini for Playlist magazine. Apple introduced new 6 gigabyte iPod minis on Wednesday, and lowered the price of the original 4GB units. The Playlist First Look examines the new features Apple added to the product line. "Seriously, there are some important differences between…
Seagate, Hitachi Announce 6GB, 1-Inch Drives; Competition to Escalate
Seagateis new 6GB ST1 Series hard drive range can hold up to 150 hours of high-quality music files, equating to some 3,000 tracks, encoded at a bit rate of 128 kilobits per second, the company said Wednesday. The drive incorporates RunOn technology to ensure consistent music playback while in a high-motion environment, such as jogging,…
Class-Action Lawsuit Accuses Dell of Bait-and-Switch Tactics
W intel computer giant Dell has been slapped with a class-action law suit accusing the company of bait-and-switch tactics, false advertising, and fraud. The lawsuit was filed in Francisco County Superior Court on February 14th, though Dell itself is based in Round Rock, TX. CNet News reported Wednesday that the suit accuses the company of…
Apple Shows Off New Tiger Logo; Yanks Within Hours
Mac users in Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland were treated to a worldwide exclusive Wednesday when their periodic Apple eNews e-mail arrived showing what appears to be a re-designed logo for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. The release appears to have been an accident, as the logo was pulled from other versions of the newsletter…
David Pogue: Olympus's Snazzy m:robe no iPod Competitor
D avid Pogue takes the new Olympus m:robe digital device to task in this weeks Circuits section of The New York Times. On the surface, the m:robe 500i seems like a formidable iPod competitor. Sleek design, large color touch-screen, 20GB capacity, and a built-in digital camera. Olympus believes the device is so hot the company…
Mossberg: Why PC Users May Not Want to Switch
W alter Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal, who has consistently praised Appleis products and frequently recommends to readers that they at least consider a Mac, outlines the reasons a Windows user would not want to switch to the Mac in his latest column. Cost and compatibility are Mossbergis most significant warnings. Accordingly, Mossberg suggests…
TMO Reports - Gates Doubts iPod a Microsoft Employee Favorite; "iPod's a Great Success"
Microsoft Corp. founder and chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday he doubted claims that 80% of his employees are iPod owners. Acknowledging the iPod has been a “great success,” he said consumers want more choice than what Apple can offer and Microsoft will gain market share in digital media devices in 2005. In an interview with…
Take Your iPod mini Swimming With Otter Box
O tter Products today extended its Otter Box for iPod case to the iPod mini, brining waterproof, dustproof, dirtproof, sandproof, and drop-proof protection to the music player. The Otter Box for iPod mini features a waterproof membrane that protects the click wheel, and a hard plastic window for the screen that keeps it fully legible.…
HP Exec Jumps Ship, Joins Apple (UPDATE)
Ms. Johnson leaves HP less than one week after Chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina was fired. HP said Ms. Johnsonis departure wasnit related to Fiorinais departure and was made prior to the HP executive shakeup. Ms. Johnson was not available for comment. Ms. Johnson will assume the role of vice president of worldwide marketing communications…
Creative CEO: Apple will Lose to Microsoft
MSNB C has published a very interesting Newsweek interview with Creative Technologies CEO Sim Wong Hoo. The piece examines Creativeis struggle in the iPod-dominated music player market. When asked about the iPodis success, Mr. Sim says, “Steve Jobs is a personality that we all have to reckon with….But he was not the first to come…
Survey Finds Henrico County Students Frequently Use iBooks
E ighty-eight percent of Henrico County students who received iBooks as part of the countyis four-year old laptop initiative bring their iBooks to school every day, a new study commissioned by the Henrico School Board found. Additionally, 91 percent of the 20,409 students surveyed — representing 80.5 percent of total students with iBooks — use…