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//Saturday, July 12, 2008


  Installing the iPod touch 2.0 Update

Now that the iPod touch 2.0 update is finally available on Apple's iTunes servers, we iTouch owners can join in on the App Store fun for $9.95 which is billed directly to our iTunes Store account.

The purchase transaction took as long as it does to purchase a song or video from the iTunes store. The download took about 6-8 minutes on my cable modem connection. The process to backup, prepare, reload, and verify the software on my iPod took a good 10-15 minutes or so.

Now that the 2.0 software is loaded, iTunes needs to reload all of my music, movies, pictures, and PIM data. There is no time estimate given, this looks like it is going to be the longest part of the upgrade process as I am using about 12GB of my 14.6GB on the iPod touch.

While my data is reloading, I'm off to the App Store!

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//Friday, July 11, 2008


  iPod touch Fun
Looks like iPhone customers aren't the only ones having "fun" activating their new hardware. I've been waiting for iPhone 2.0 software for iPod touch to become available.

Starting earlier this afternoon I've been trying to purchase the 2.0 software for my 16GB iPod touch since 5pm. Each time I click on the "Buy the Software Update" link I get dropped into the home page of the iTunes Store.

Apple fan site, AppleInsider.com has been reporting a number of problems with the iTunes servers bogging down under the stress of all the new iPhone activations and updates to existing iPhone 1.0 devices.

I'll update this article as soon as I'm able to purchase, download, and apply the iPod touch 2.0 software.

UPDATE 9:20pm:

I just clicked the "Check for Update" button in iTunes with my iPod touch selected in the Source side bar and received the dreaded, "This version of the iPod software (1.1.4) is the current version" message that I received at 6:30am before Apple released the 2.0 software. It looks like it is going to be a long weekend for Apple and their customers. At least I don't have to work overtime tonight.

UPDATE 10:40pm

Not wanting to give up on my iPod touch OCD, I just checked the update status again, and I received a message reading:

"The iTunes Store is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."

Maybe a fix is on the way?

UPDATE 10:20am - 7/12/08:

What a difference 12 hours makes! The iPod touch 2.0 software update is ready to roll!

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  iPhone 3G initial thoughts & headache
I was able to get the white 16GB iPhone 3G at the Apple Store this morning and wanted to share some initial thoughts. The activation in store wasn't too bad, I got into the Apple Store around 8:20 a.m., asked for a white 16GB iPhone, went through the credit check, an Apple Store employee activate my iPhone through iTunes, and I was out of the store by 8:45 a.m. It went much faster, and easier than I had expected, or so I thought.

When I got home I was able to restore all of my information, music, videos, and applications that got backed up with iTunes from my 1st iPhone.

I am very impressed with the look and feel of the iPhone 3G. It feels great in the hand due to it's curved back. Surfing the web with 3G kicks EDGE to the curb, and being able to download apps from the AppStore anywhere i very cool. Playing music through the speakers of the iPhone 3G also sounds much better than the original.

I used my iPhone for a few hours until out of the blue I got a white screen of death. I tried to turn the iPhone 3G off and nothing happened, I then reset it holding the power button and the hold button, all I got was a white screen.I had to connect the iPhone 3G to iTunes and force it into recovery mode. iTunes gave me a message that the iPhone's software needed to be restored, so I restored. After the restore was finished I got the screen below.

It turns out that history is repeating itself, just like last year the iTunes activation service could not handle rush of activations.

Gizmodo has received an official statement from AT&T about the issue:

"We have had reports that customers attempting to download new iTunes 7.7 software to their new iPhone may get an error message saying "page not found." We have reported this issue to Apple. While Apple works to resolve this issue, we are asking customers to sync their newly activated phone later at home."

Apple is working on resolving all theses issues, the link to download iTunes 7.7 has been removed from the site.

Stay tuned.

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//Thursday, July 10, 2008


  The AppStore is Up!



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//Thursday, June 26, 2008


  Apple to offer FREE iTunes remote for iPhone and iPod touch users w/ iTiunes 7.7

MacRumors is reporting that Apple has released a pre-release version of iTunes 7.7 for developers tonight. The Read Me of the installer lists:

"Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home -- a free download from the App Store."

Of course it's not completely free as iPod touch users will have to pay $9.99 to upgrade to the 2.0 software (iPhone owners get this update for free), but still a very nice added benefit to doing so.

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//Thursday, June 19, 2008


  iTunes Store Tops Over Five Billion Songs Sold
Apple Renting & Selling Over 50,000 Movies Per Day

CUPERTINO, California—June 19, 2008—Apple® today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded over five billion songs from the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com). iTunes is the number one music retailer in the US* and features the largest music catalog with over eight million songs. Also, iTunes customers are now renting and purchasing over 50,000 movies every day, making iTunes the world’s most popular online movie store.

iTunes features movies from all of the major movie studios including 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lionsgate and New Line Cinema. Users can rent movies and watch them on their Macs or PCs, all current generation iPods**, iPhone™ and on a widescreen TV with Apple TV®. iTunes Store customers can also purchase new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios on the same day as their DVD release.

The iTunes Store is the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over eight million songs, over 20,000 TV episodes and over 2,000 films including over 350 in stunning high definition video. With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod® and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac® and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

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//Tuesday, May 13, 2008


  HBO & Apple Bring Critically Acclaimed Television Programming to the iTunes Store
Favorites Including "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City" Now Available on iTunes

NEW YORK and CUPERTINO, California—May 13, 2008—HBO and Apple® today announced that programming from HBO is now available for purchase and download on the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com). New HBO programs on iTunes include the Emmy Award-winning programs "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City," "Deadwood" and "Rome," as well as the critically acclaimed hits "Flight of the Conchords" and "The Wire." The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online TV store with over 150 million episodes sold and features the world's largest catalog with over 800 shows (over 20,000 episodes).

"We're very excited to make these legendary HBO programs available on the iTunes Store," said Henry McGee, president of HBO Video. "Whether catching up on 'Sex and the City' in anticipation of its upcoming movie release or reliving a favorite 'Sopranos' episode, we think viewers will love being able to watch these shows on their iPod or iPhone."

"We're thrilled to bring this incredible lineup of programming from HBO to the iTunes Store," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of iTunes. "These are some of the most talked about television shows ever, as well as some of the most requested by our customers."

"Sex and the City: The Movie" premieres in theaters on May 30, and in preparation for the movie's debut, fans can choose any or all 94 episodes from the entire six seasons of the program.

Television shows purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store can be viewed on a Mac® or PC, iPod® nano with video, iPod classic, iPod touch, fifth generation iPod, iPhone™ or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV®. "Sex and the City," "The Wire" and "Flight of the Conchords" are $1.99 per episode, and "The Sopranos," "Deadwood" and "Rome" are priced at $2.99 per episode. iTunes customers can also choose to purchase entire seasons of their favorite programs.

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//Thursday, May 01, 2008


  Purchase New Movies on iTunes Same Day as DVD Release
CUPERTINO, California—May 1, 2008—Apple® today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com) on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios. Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod® with video, iPhone™, Mac® or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV®, with new releases priced at $14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99.

“We’re thrilled to bring iTunes Store customers new films for purchase day-and-date with the DVD release,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We think movie fans will love being able to buy their favorites from major and independent studios.”

New releases available for purchase on the iTunes Store this week, concurrent with their DVD release, include “American Gangster” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” Other popular titles now available for purchase include “Juno,” “Cloverfield,” “I Am Legend,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.”

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//Thursday, April 03, 2008


  Apple officially announces iTunes is the #1 Music Retailer in the U.S.

iTunes Store Top Music Retailer in the US

CUPERTINO, California—April 3, 2008—Apple® today announced that the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com) surpassed Wal-Mart to become the number one music retailer in the US, based on the latest data from the NPD Group*. With over 50 million customers, iTunes has sold over four billion songs and features the world’s largest music catalog of over six million songs.

“We launched iTunes less than five years ago, and it has now become the number one music retailer in the world,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We are thrilled, and would like to thank all of our customers for helping us reach this incredible milestone.”

*Based on data from market research firm the NPD Group’s MusicWatch survey that captures consumer reported past week unit purchases and counts one CD representing 12 tracks, excluding wireless transactions. The iTunes Store became the largest music retailer in the US based on the amount of music sold during January and February 2008.

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  Apple passes Wal-Mart, now #1 music retailer in US
"Over the past few years, we have watched Apple climb the music sales chart courtesy of the iTunes. Last month we learned that Apple passed Best Buy to become the number two retailer in the the US in December. Now, Apple has ascended to the top of the charts, surpassing Wal-Mart for the first time ever, according to an NPD MusicWatch Survey for the month January contained in an internal Apple e-mail which was leaked to Ars Technica but has not been officially published. Related Stories

The news was announced in an e-mail sent this afternoon to some Apple employees, a copy of which was seen by Ars Technica. It includes a screenshot of an Excel file showing the top ten music retailers in the US for January 2008, and Apple is at the top of the list. The iTunes Store leads the pack with 19 percent, Wal-Mart (which includes the brick-and-mortar stores as well as its online properties) is second with 15 percent, and Best Buy is third with 13 percent. Amazon is a distant fourth at 6 percent, trailed by the likes of Borders, Circuit City, and Barnes & Noble. Rhapsody is in the tenth slot with 1 percent.

The fact that a digital-only retailer has ascended to the top of the sales charts is not unexpected, but it does demonstrate just how much the music landscape has changed since the beginning of the decade. The NPD Group has been tracking a "sharp increase" in digital downloads over the past several months as physical sales dry up. According to NPD's research, 48 percent of US teens didn't buy a single CD in 2007, compared to 38 percent in 2006." Via Ars Technica .

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//Tuesday, March 18, 2008


  iPhone and iPod to feature "all you can eat iTunes buffet"?
Apple is reportedly in discussions with the major music labels about new iPhone and iPod models that would come with an "all you can eat iTunes library" option. The catch is Apple would charge a premium for these iPhones and iPods in order to gain entrance to the "iTunes all you can eat buffet". Sounds like a good idea to me, stay tuned.

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//Friday, February 29, 2008


  iPhone SDK Details: Apple as Gatekeeper, No Accessories?
iLounge cites several sources "familiar with Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch software development kit (SDK) plans" to reveal some controversial new details:

• iTunes Store as hub - as expected, Apple will require future iPhone and iPod Touch applications to be distributed through Apple's iTunes Store.

• Apple as Application Gatekeeper - iLounge believes that Apple will act as a gatekeeper for the applications themselves and will formally approve or deny all software releases:

• No Accessory Support - no ability to support dock-based accessories (such as a GPS module), though the iPhone's own phone, Wi-Fi, and camera will reportedly accessible.

iLounge corroborates earlier rumors that the final SDK would be not ready for release at Apple's March 6th event. Instead, they echo that a beta will be available then, with the final release to await WWDC in June. Via MacDailyNews .

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//Tuesday, January 15, 2008


  Manually manage music and videos on iPhone

Apple has finally added the ability to manually manage music and videos on an iPhone with iTunes 7.6. Better late than never.

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  iPod touch January Upgrade
Apple is now shipping the iPod touch with Mail, Google Maps, Notes, Weather, and Stocks (applications already found on the iPhone). If you own an iPod touch already you can buy the "January Upgrade" via iTunes for $19.99.

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  iTunes Movie Rentals
"Every major studio is on board

Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, FOx, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Sony all on board.

Rules: 30 days to start watching. 24 hours to finish.

Library titles: $2.99, New Releases: $3.99.

iTunes Movie Rentals launches today in the U.S. International will launch later this year. Software updates for iPods and iTunes will be forthcoming."

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//Monday, January 14, 2008


  Netflix battles Apple by eliminating online watching limits
"In an attempt to counteract whatever announcements Apple will make at Macworld this week, Netflix has decided to let subscribers stream unlimited movies and TV shows, with almost every basic plan, the Associated Press is reporting.

Currently, subscribers can watch anywhere from 5 to 48 hours a month, depending on their plan, although I don't see how anyone could be on the "eight-at-a-time" plan. (My two-at-a time plan came with 14 hours.)

The new, unlimited plan will be available to all subscribers, except for those on the two-rentals-per-month plan." Via CNET .

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//Wednesday, January 09, 2008


  Warner Bros said to have signed on for iTunes movie rentals
AppleInsider is reporting that Warner Bros have signed on for iTunes movie rentals.

"Major motion picture studio Warner Bros, which was reported earlier this month to be mulling a deal with Apple to offer up its catalog for a new iTunes rental service, is now said to have inked a deal with the iTunes operator that will see its films available through the service at launch.

Citing people familiar with the agreements, Bloomberg claims that Warner will join Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Walt Disney and Lions Gate as initial content providers for the iTunes movie rental service, which is widely expected to make its debut next Tuesday at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

New releases and older titles will both fetch $3.99 for a 24-hour rental, according to the report, which echos claims published last month by the Financial Times.. However, other reports have suggested Apple might adopt a slightly different pricing structure that would charge more nominal fees for older library titles."

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//Thursday, December 27, 2007


  Report: Apple inks online film-rental deal with News Corp’s 20th Century Fox
"Apple has signed News Corp’s 20th Century Fox studio to a new online video-on-demand service in a deal that could change the way people pay for online film content," Matthew Garrahan and Kevin Allison report for The Financial Times.

"The agreement will allow consumers to rent the latest Fox DVD releases by downloading a digital copy from Apple’s iTunes platform for a limited time, according to a person familiar with the situation," Garrahan and Allison report.

"The Apple-Fox deal, likely to be announced at the Macworld show on January 14, has the potential to transform film distribution. Apart from letting people rent online, Apple will also for the first time extend its FairPlay digital rights management system beyond its own products," Garrahan and Allison report. "A digital file protected by FairPlay will be included in new Fox DVD releases, enabling film content to be transferred or 'ripped' from the disc to a computer and video iPod."

"Apple, whose shares hit $200 for the first time yesterday in intra-day trade, is understood to have been in talks with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount and Warner Bros about making their new releases available on iTunes to buy and rent," Garrahan and Allison report."

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//Monday, December 24, 2007


  Simon Cowell to 'sue iTunes'
"SIMON COWELL is considering launching legal proceedings against iTunes after fans were prevented from downloading X-Factor winner LEON JACKSON’s single.

Demand melted the music firm’s servers shortly after When You Believe went on sale at midnight on Saturday.

The problem was only resolved some 15 hours later leading to thousands of punters being unable to get their hands on the ballad.

Last year LEONA LEWIS’ winning single shifted an astonishing 50,000 downloads on its first hour of sale.

The Scottish teen logged just 36,669 sales in three days and record label bosses are furious.

An insider at SonyBMG said: “Everybody here is up in arms.

“There’s been a monumental cock up. Simon is hugely disappointed about the situation and is considering launching legal proceedings.

“Everybody is really upset for Leon and don’t want technical malfunctions to mar his big week.”

A spokesperson for iTunes declined to comment."

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//Tuesday, November 06, 2007


  iTunes 7.5 now displays battery status

One new feature I just came across in iTunes 7.5 is a charging battery icon next to my 3rd generation iPod nano. As you can see my iPhone does not display the battery icon. A bug on Apple's part, or an upcoming iPhone update?? Stay tuned.

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  iTunes update hints at new iPhone features? Not so fast
Engadget is reporting that the latest version of iTunes(7.5), released on Monday contains some "interesting" strings of code.

Voice memo syncing with iTunes

Manually managing your music

Enabling disk use

Whether or not Apple actually enables these features is a whole other story. We've been seeing these strings since iTunes 7.3

"4301.079" = "The mobile phone “^1” contains new voice memos. Would you like to move these voice memos to your iTunes library?";

"4320.300" = "iTunes has detected a Macintosh-formatted iPhone. You must restore this iPhone before you can use it on Windows.";

/* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */

"4329.001" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?";

"4329.002" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?";

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//Tuesday, October 16, 2007


  Apple slashes DRM-free tracks to $.99
Apple has announced that they are cutting the price of their "iTunes Plus" music from $1.29 to the popular $.99.

"In an interview, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said music on iTunes Plus – the portion of Apple's online music store featuring songs without digital rights management, or DRM, anti-copying software – will feature the reduced price later today or tomorrow. That applies mainly to songs from EMI Group Plc, the only major recording company with which Apple has cut a deal for DRM-free music so far. Apple has also already begun adding new music to iTunes Plus from independent recording companies at 99 cents a song.

Songs on iTunes Plus originally came at a premium though: 30% more than the standard 99 cent song price for tracks long available with DRM. "It's been very popular with our customers, and we're making it even more affordable," Mr. Jobs said."

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//Friday, September 28, 2007


  New iTunes coming, with battery indicator for iPhone

TUAW has a screenshot from Apple's website of a version of iTunes showing the iPhone's battery status in the iTunes list. The current version of iTunes does not have this feature, and TUAW thinks an iTunes update will be released very soon.

"What's this picture, sent to us by reader Mike, and found on Apple's website? Why, it's a screengrab from iTunes, with a nifty little battery icon right there next to the iPhone listing.

Yes, but Mike, I hear you saying, what does that mean? It means, my friends, that a new iTunes update is right around the corner. 7.4.3 doesn't have this icon, and so it's very likely that within the next day or two, we'll see a brand new version of iTunes, complete with this nifty battery icon, and who knows what else."

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//Tuesday, September 11, 2007


  Apple turns on auto complete and ringtones in iTunes

Apple flipped the switch on 2 new features to iTunes. Ringtones have finally been added so you can create your own ringtone. A new feature is the Spotlight-esque auto complete feature in the iTunes store (very nice).

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//Wednesday, September 05, 2007


  One more thing... iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store

"You might have noticed there's an empty spot there on that dock. What could that possibly be for, you might ask? It's for a new application we've written for the iPod touch, it's called the iTunes WiFi music store."

Four buttons: featured, top tens, search, downloads... "If you see something you like, tap it, free preview of the song." "You are now downloading the song... when it's done you can listen to it on your iPod touch, and it syncs back up to itunes."

"You can search for anything in the entire iTunes store. You can search for any artist, any song name, any album name, preview it, and if you love it go buy it. This is the new itunes WiFi music store."

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  Apple adds iPhone ringtones to iTunes

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  Is iTunes 8 on the way?

This is pure rumor and speculation, but I could definitely see Apple rolling out iTunes 8 later today. 9to5mac also believes this could be possible since Apple is widely expected to announce new iPods today and updates to iPhone software and iTunes are almost guaranteed. iTunes 7 was made available almost a year ago today, it was released on September 12, 2006. Stay tuned.

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//Tuesday, September 04, 2007


  "Perfect" iTunes equalizer setting

I came across this post @ 43folders.com . We always want our music to sound the best and this equalizer setting is supposed to be the "perfect" setting, so give it a try and listen.

"Open the equalizer, and from the pop-up menu, select “Make Preset.” Call it “Perfect,” because it is, and set the following levels, from left to right (skip the Preamp section):

db +3, +6, +9, +7, +6, +5, +7, +9, +11, +8 db".

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//Friday, August 31, 2007


  Apple: iTunes Store to stop selling NBC TV shows after NBC demands more than double price increase
Apple® today announced that it will not be selling NBC television shows for the upcoming television season on its online iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com). The move follows NBC’s decision to not renew its agreement with iTunes after Apple declined to pay more than double the wholesale price for each NBC TV episode, which would have resulted in the retail price to consumers increasing to $4.99 per episode from the current $1.99. ABC, CBS, FOX and The CW, along with more than 50 cable networks, are signed up to sell TV shows from their upcoming season on iTunes at $1.99 per episode.

“We are disappointed to see NBC leave iTunes because we would not agree to their dramatic price increase,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We hope they will change their minds and offer their TV shows to the tens of millions of iTunes customers.”

Apple’s agreement with NBC ends in December. Since NBC would withdraw their shows in the middle of the television season, Apple has decided to not offer NBC TV shows for the upcoming television season beginning in September. NBC supplied iTunes with three of its 10 best selling TV shows last season, accounting for 30 percent of iTunes TV show sales.

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  iPhone Custom Ring Tones in the Works
"Apple has been working with the major record labels to bring songs as custom ring tones to the iPhone, and may be ready to make an announcement as early as next Wednesday's special media event. The ring tones will be available through the iTunes Store, and customers will be able to choose which part of a song they want for their customized ringer, according to The New York Post.

In addition to purchasing new songs as ring tones, users will also be able to convert tracks they have already purchased. The online music download store will also offer a collection of pre-designed ring tones.

There is no word yet on how much the company will charge for ring tones, and Apple is not offering any comment. All of the labels except for Universal are said to be on board with the deal." Via the iPod observer .

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//Thursday, August 30, 2007


  The Beatles Last Words: The Beat Goes On

Via WebbAlert.com and AppleInsider:

...the Beatles' final April 10, 1970 press release...ends:

"Spring is here and Leeds play Chelsea tomorrow and Ringo and John and George and Paul are alive and well and full of hope. The world is still spinning and so are we and so are you... When the spinning stops -- that'll be the time to worry, not before. Until then, the Beatles are alive and well and the beat goes on, the beat goes on."

Are The Beatles finally coming to iTunes? Coupled with the cryptic message, iTunes has also heavily featured the solo music of Lennon, McCartney and Starr. Hmmm...

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//Tuesday, August 28, 2007


  SwapTunes syncs your iPhone with more than one computer

SwapTunes is a very cool program that allows you to sync your iPhone with more than one computer.

"This simple app lets you sync your iPhone music/videos with more than one computer by keeping two iTunes libraries on the iPhone and allowing you to quickly swap between them whenever you like.

The reason I wrote this is because I have different videos and music on both my home PC and my work PC. Unfortunately, iTunes does not allow you to sync music/videos to more than one computer. So, until there is software like Floola, Poddox or Sharepod for the iPhone, I created this simple solution.

From now on, every time you run the SwapTunes app, it will switch to your other library, effectively allowing you to have two complete iTunes libraries on your iPhone and effortlessly swap between them. It will even keep any bookmarks you had on a video or audiobook before the swap and resume playing from where you left off." Find more information here .

This application is GREAT. I was able to get all of the music I wanted from my work pc to my iPhone. It's great being able to just tap the SwapTunes icon on my iPhone and have both my home and work pc's iTunes library.

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//Tuesday, August 21, 2007


  It takes a village...
Since Apple's iTunes dominates the digital music world three big players have joined forces to try and take on iTunes. In a joint digital music initiative MTV, RealNetworks, and Verizon wireless have formed "Rhapsody America".

"The yet-to-launch collaboration among the three companies will combine MTV's relatively unsuccessful Urge music store, the Real-owned Rhapsody subscription download service, and Verizon's V Cast mobile media service to create a music store that reaches across the PC, digital music player, and mobile phone platforms.

The new Rhapsody America company is officially a joint venture between MTV Networks and Real Networks, with Verizon Wireless as its exclusive mobile partner. Urge as a brand will cease to exist, with Rhapsody becoming the service of choice for MTV Networks' MTV, VH1, and CMT music brands. Michael Bloom, general manager of MTV's Urge, has been appointed head of the new company, and the company's offices will be located in New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

Urge had been launched as a music store in conjunction with MTV Networks' music brands, but its highly publicized deal with Microsoft had fallen by the wayside as the software company launched its Zune music player and accompanying music store."

I have a sneaky suspicion this isn't going to take on iTunes as the three companies hope. Real has a reputation for never giving up. MTV still thinks they are very influential over young people. Verizon Wireless needs something to help sell more phones and compete with the iPhone. The joint venture sounds delusional, and the name "Rhapsody America" even makes it sound more so. Someone on the marketing team could have come up with a better name.

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//Friday, August 10, 2007


  iTunes package contains "iPhone Game", "Voice Memo", "Firewire" entries

Going through the iTunes Localizable.strings file showed some interesting things that could be coming to an iPhone near you . * /* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */ * "4329.001″ = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?"; * "4329.002″ = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?"; and * "4320.077″ = "Voice Memos"; * "4320.079″ = "The iPhone "^1" contains new voice memos. Would you like to move these voice memos to your iTunes library?"; * "4320.080″ = "Moving voice memos to your iTunes library…"; and * “4320.295″ = “You must connect using FireWire to update the iPhone “^FILENAME”.”; * “4320.296″ = “You must connect using FireWire to restore the iPhone “^FILENAME”.”; Source .

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//Thursday, August 02, 2007


  Apple releases iTunes 7.3.2

Apple has released an update to iTunes. iTunes 7.3.2 provides bux fixes to improve stability and performance.

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//Tuesday, July 31, 2007


  iTunes Store tops 3 billion songs

Apple announced today that more than 3 BILLION songs have been purchased and downloaded from the iTunes store.

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//Wednesday, July 11, 2007


  QuickTime 7.2/iTunes 7.3.1 now available
Apple has released updates for iTunes and Quick Time.

About iTunes 7.3.1

With iTunes 7.3, you can now activate iPhone service and sync it with your music, TV shows, movies and more. Also, you can now wirelessly share and enjoy your favorite digital photos from any computer in your home with Apple TV.

iTunes 7.3.1 addresses a minor problem with iTunes 7.3 accessing the iTunes Library.

About QuickTime 7.2

QuickTime 7.2 addresses critical security issues and delivers:

- Support for full screen viewing in QuickTime Player

- Updates to the H.264 codec

- Numerous bug fixes

This release is recommended for all QuickTime 7 users.

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//Sunday, July 01, 2007


  WSJ: Universal Music to sign sign short term deal with Apple iTunes Store
"Highlighting ongoing tension between the music industry and Apple Inc., Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group is set to notify the Cupertino, Calif. company that it is not renewing a long term contract to sell digital music downloads through the increasingly powerful iTunes Store, according to people familiar with the situation," Ethan Smith and Nick Wingfield report for The Wall Street Journal.

"The move does not mean, however, that Universal will remove its vast catalog... from iTunes in the foreseeable future. Instead, Universal, which is the world's largest music company by market share, expects to go to a short-term sales agreement," Smith and Nick Wingfield report. "Though it is unlikely to have sweeping effects immediately, the change could give Universal more flexibility in its dealings with competitors to iTunes." Via MacDailyNews.

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  DRUDGE REPORT: Universal Music to Apple: We Will Not Renew Contract
FLASH: APPLE FACES A REBELLION OVER ITUNES... Universal Music Group, the world's biggest music corporation, notified Apple that it will not renew its annual contract to sell music through iTunes... Developing...

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//Friday, June 29, 2007


  Apple releases iTunes 7.3

Apple has released iTunes 7.3 .

New features:

• Activate your iPhone service

• Sync iPhone with your music, movies, TV shows, and more

• Wirelessly share digital photos from any computer in your home with Apple TV

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//Wednesday, June 27, 2007


  RUMOR: Apple iTunes 7.3 with ‘Make iPhone Ringtone’ feature imminent
"While not mentioned in any of the reviews, we've received word that custom Ringtone support is in fact a feature of iTunes 7.3," arn reports for MacRumors.

iTunes 7.3 is listed as a requirement for the iPhone but has not yet been released by Apple. Reportedly, the new version of iTunes will allow you to convert any song that is available on iTunes into a ringtone with the "Make into Ringtone" feature. The cost for this service is $.99," arn reports."

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//Monday, June 11, 2007


  Apple to launch online video rentals?
"Financial Times is reporting that Apple is in "advanced talks with Hollywood's largest movie studios" to launch an online video rental service. Flicks will cost $3 to rent for 30 days and can be moved to at least one other device, such as an iPod or iPhone.

The move marks two major breaks from Apple's current offerings, which are download-to-own only and come solely from Disney and Paramount—a rental store with several major studios would not only shift the way users can view movies using iTunes, it would dramatically expand Apple's catalog. Not to mention the number of people using VOD, which is a boon for studios, and no doubt their incentive to come to the table." Via Gizmodo .

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//Wednesday, June 06, 2007


  Service Puts iTunes on Any Phone
"Melodeo beats iPhone to by launching NuTsie beta service featuring iTunes for cell phones.

Even before Apple Inc.'s much anticipated iPhone hits the shelves later this month, users of many different kinds of phones can listen to their iTunes music, via a new service from Seattle company Melodeo Inc.

Anyone can use the beta version of NuTsie, launched on Tuesday, by signing up and then exporting their iTunes playlists to NuTsie. Users don't actually upload their music files, only the metadata of the files which identifies the songs. After receiving an application via text message to their phones, they can start listening to their playlists.

On the backend, Melodeo is assembling a library of music so it can stream the songs to users. When a user chooses to listen to music from their playlist, Melodeo streams it from its own library. The company adheres to "radio rules," the same guidelines that govern how broadcast radio and online stations play music and then pay artists and record companies for the right to play the songs.

Because Melodeo follows radio rules, NuTsie has a few quirks. For instance, users can't pick individual songs from their libraries, they can only listen to their playlists. Also, playlists don't play in the order that the user made them -- NuTsie shuffles the order. If a user's playlist includes a full album, Melodeo must insert random songs into its playback in order to comply with the rules.

For now, NuTsie supports 15 phones, although the Java application may work on other phones. Melodeo is developing a Brew version and a Windows Mobile client." Via PC World .

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//Tuesday, May 22, 2007


  PC World’s 100 Best Products of 2007 list features six from Apple
"Not content with waiting for another 7 months and 10 days to elapse, PC World has published their list of "The 100 Best Products of 2007."

We guess it's really a list of "The 100 Best Products of 2007, So Far." Therefore, products like Apple's iPhone are not on the list, but iPhone is #1 atop PC World's "Most Anticipated Products of the Year" list.

Numbers 1-3 are Google Apps Premier Edition, Intel Core 2 Duo, and Nintendo Wii respectively.

Apple hits the 2007 list six times:

9. Apple Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" (released April 29, 2005!)

11. Apple TV

26. Apple iPod (80GB) (released September 12, 2006!)

45. Apple iPod Nano (8GB) (released September 12, 2006!)

61. Apple iTunes

82. Apple MacBook Pro (released January 10, 2006!)

Notably absent from PC World's list is Microsoft's critically panned Windows Vista." Via MacDailyNews .

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//Thursday, May 03, 2007


  Must be nice..
Forbes: Apple CEO Steve Jobs highest paid U.S. CEO last year at $647 million

"The highest-paid boss of the 500 companies we tracked: Apple (AAPL) chief Steve Jobs. He drew a nominal $1 salary but realized $647 million from vested restricted stock last year," DeCarlo reports." Via Forbes.com .

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