Steve's the man! Just Say NO to Rent-a-Song.

Apple chief executive, Steve Jobs, on Wednesday maintained his view that customers would rather own their music than rent it, suggesting he's unlikely to give in to calls from the music industry to add a subscription-based model to iTunes.

"Never say never, but customers don't seem to be interested in it," Jobs told Reuters in an interview after Apple reported blow-out quarterly results. "The subscription model has failed so far."

Jobs' comments come at a time when Apple is believed to be preparing for iTunes licensing renegotiating with several of the music industry's largest labels. As part of those talks, several of the labels are expected to badger the Apple chief to add a subscription model to its industry-leading iTunes Store.

The labels, which are battling an ongoing decline in sales of compact discs and the simultaneous proliferation of illegal music downloads through peer-to-peer file sharing networks, are touting the potential of subscription services to boost their revenues. They believe a subscription model would increase the consumption of music and allow them to reap monthly payments in addition to small licensing fees each time songs are played.

Thus far, however, Jobs appears poised to stick with Apple's current a-la-carte and album download model, which has catapulted his firm to the forefront of the digital download business. Since its inception back in 2003, the company's iTunes music store has sold more than 2.5 billion songs worldwide.

"People want to own their music," Jobs said.

For its part in the impending negotiations, Apple is expected to press the music labels for further concessions on selling music without copy-protection software known as digital rights management (DRM). In a landmark deal announced earlier this month, EMI Group -- the third largest music label -- announced that it would begin selling DRM-free tracks on iTunes in May.

"There are a lot of people in the other music companies who are very intrigued by it," Jobs said of the move. "They're thinking very hard about it right now."

The Apple chief executive is hoping pressure from the EMI move weighs on three of the other big labels -- Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner Music -- essentially forcing them to follow suit in order to remain competitive.

"We've said by the end of this year, over half of the songs we offer on iTunes we believe will be in DRM-free versions," Jobs told Reuters. "I think we're going to achieve that."

Found on Apple Insider ... where else?

iTunes + Yahoo = Lyrics?

By Katie Marsal

A proposed deal between Apple and digital media company Gracenote could soon see the iPod maker serve up song lyrics through its ubiquitous iTunes Store.

The move would be part of a larger industry-backed push to stifle proliferation of unauthorized websites that currently dominate the market, often offering inaccurate lyrics and never compensating artists for their work.

Gracenote and Yahoo! kicked-off the effort earlier this week in announcing a licensing deal allowing Yahoo! Music to offer legal, licensed song lyrics from hundreds of thousands of songs to its customers. Some feature artists include U2, Elvis and The Beatles.

In a deal with music publishers last summer, Gracenote gain the rights to distribute lyrics from nearly 100 music publishers, including the top five: BMG Music Publishing, EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, and dozens of prominent independent publishers.

“Song lyrics are continually among the top 10 searches performed on major search engines, though the results often provide consumers a frustrating experience filled with inconsistent and incomplete lyrics, and annoying pop-ups,” said Craig Palmer, president and chief executive officer of Gracenote.

In speaking to Reuters, Palmer revealed his firm is in discussions with various other music partners, such as Apple's iTunes. "We wouldn't be in the business to launch just one service, so stay tuned," he said.

The arrival of lyrics on iTunes could present exciting opportunities for Apple, which already offers high-quality album artwork downloads to its customers. A deal between Gracenote and Apple would almost certainly pave the way for lyric downloads to digital music players, allowing iPod users to sing along to their favorite tunes. Karaoke products and possibilities also exist.

In speaking to Reuters, Palmer said licensing lyrics should boost worldwide music publishing revenues, estimated at about $4 billion annually, by as much as $100 million annually within the next 10 years.

found on Apple Insider

Apple's iPod may gain Wi-Fi by holidays

Apple plans to launch new iPods featuring Wi-Fi during the second half of 2007, according to a report at DigiTimes, the same publication which first reported that Apple would be forced to push out Leopard's release until October.

In a brief posting, the Taiwanese rumor publicized cited "portable music player component makers" who say that Universal Scientific Industrial (USI) has been contracted by the Cupertino-based iPod maker to produce the Wi-Fi modules and that Foxconn will act as the OEM system assembler.

USI will reportedly begin the first shipments of its Wi-Fi modules to Apple later this month, while Foxconn isn't expected to deliver the completed players until the third quarter, which runs July - September.

DigiTimes's report is somewhat in line with expectations published by AppleInsider over the course of the past few months. Sources initially reported that three distinct iPod models lie on Apple's roadmap for 2007, later adding that one of those players --- a next-gen video iPod -- was tracking for a third quarter release.

Thus far, Microsoft's Zune has led the way to increasing development of Wi-Fi portable music players, with Creative and SanDisk most recently showcasing such players at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show. According to DigiTimes, Samsung and Sony are also planning to offer similar products in the near future.

found on AppleInsider

Make Your iPod Kid-Safe

Cutest iPod accessory yet! This adorable rubber case for the iPod video is possible the cutest thing I've seen this week and I saw baby hedgehogs on Monday. By your little ones iPods, strap pop em' in these colorful cases, and plop them down in the backseat. Finally, there's a way to entertain kids on long road trips without having to listen to Barney and Friends through the car radio. Just load all of Jill and Johnny's favorite Disney and Pixar movies onto their iPods and you can again enjoy the privilege of operating your own car's radio. Of course you would have to either be really rich or REALLY LOVE your kids to get them these "toys". But hey, just think about it, pretty soon you'll have to by them anyway as schools in England and Michigan, USA are starting to use iPods and PSP's in the classroom. - More about that when the story grows. - Adam Frucci, my favorite Gizmodo blogger, had this to say about the product and I found it quite amusing....

It's never too early to start indoctrinating your children into the Church of Apple, and this iFrogz Tadpole iPod Case can do just that. Featuring big ol' handles to let the young ones grab it and kid-sized headphones, it's the perfect way to let your kid appreciate the clean design and intuitive functionality of the iPod before they can walk. Before you know it, they'll be drooling over 8-core Mac Pros, just like Dad. –Adam Frucci

iPod Slows Enemy Bullet, Saves Life

Kevin Garrad of the 3rd Infantry Division is an iPod user for life—which incidentally got extended thanks to Apple's little music player. He was on patrol in Iraq when he met an armed insurgent carrying an AK-47. Both opened fire, and the bullet heading toward Kevin hit his chest right where his iPod was, which was enough to slow down the bullet to not pierce entirely through the body armor.

The fact that he had a 20GB (older and thicker) iPod probably helped slow down the bullet more than if he had one of the newer (and thinner) 30GB ones. In that sense, an Archos would probably be enough to stop a tank shell. – Jason Chen

Ipod saves Soldier's Life [Flickr via Neatorama]

found on Gizmodo

Rumor-based Mac Buying Guide Keeps Fanboys Guessing

Still wondering whether you should buy that new MacBook or Mac Pro? The gang at MacRumors has compiled the ultimate Mac-buying guide based on product refresh cycles and Internet rumblings.

Take the Mac Pro for instance. MR recommends you skip it cause it's been 234 days since its last refresh. What's 100 percent safe to buy? According to MR, only the Shuffle. Obviously you shouldn't live or die by these rules, but savvy shoppers could save a buck or two if they at least hold off for Leopard. – Louis Ramirez

Mac Buyer's Guide [Mac Rumors via Crave]

found on Gizmodo

Some highlights of the Mac Buyer's Guide can be seen below and were not found on Gizmodo, but were found by myself.

Mac mini

Main article: Mac mini Buyer's Guide

The Mac mini is Apple's low end desktop.

Product Mac mini Recommendation: Don't Buy - Updates soon Last Release September 06, 2006 Days Since Update 204 (Avg = 151)

iMac

Main article: iMac Buyer's Guide

The iMac is Apple's all-in-one form factor desktop.

Product iMac Recommendation: Don't Buy - Updates soon Last Release September 06, 2006 Days Since Update 204 (Avg = 168)

MacBook

Main article: MacBook Buyer's Guide

The MacBook is Apple's consumer laptop; it was formerly known as the iBook.

Product MacBook Recommendation: Neutral - Mid product cycle Last Release November 08, 2006 Days Since Update 141 (Avg = 204)

MacBook Pro

Main article: MacBook Pro Buyer's Guide

The MacBook Pro is Apple's professional laptop, it was formerly known as the PowerBook.

Product MacBook Pro Recommendation: Buy only if you need it - Approaching the end of a cycle Last Release October 24, 2006 Days Since Update 156 (Avg = 182)

How To Replace Your iPod's Battery

Most of our readers are surely aware that an iPod's battery, like any rechargeable battery, will lose its ability to hold a charge over time. If a given iPod happens to be your trusty companion long enough to start exhibiting this inevitability, you need not fear its utter demise. The time to replace its battery has arrived.

Many squeamish iPod users are frightened by the notion of performing iPod surgery and replacing the diminished lithium-polymer battery with a new part. The truth is, it's not such a bad procedure. Have a look at ifixipodfast.com's page of how-to videos for most every model of iPod to see how it's done. Beyond just battery replacement, the site's videos cover replacement of LCD screens, hard drives, logic boards, click wheels, and more. Handy how-to guides.

Found on iPod Hacks

Five Key Facts on Apple’s Colored iPod shuffles

By Jeremy Horwitz Editor-in-Chief, iLounge Published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 Last Update: Tuesday, January 30, 2007

If you’ve been following Apple’s second-generation iPod shuffle since last year, and don’t need all the details found in our updated, comprehensive review, here’s a quick summary of five key things you’ll want to know about today’s colorful update to the shuffle family.

(5) Color - What’s the story? The most obvious change to the
November, 2006 second-generation iPod shuffle is its body coloration.
Apple has added four new colors - pink, blue, green, and orange - to
the prior silver shuffle. All five are still made from aluminum, just
like the multi-colored iPod nano, and the pink, blue, and green nanos
are color-matched to the nano’s vibrant tones. The new orange color is
equally striking, and very close in color to an actual Sunkist we had
sitting around. Notably, iTunes 7.0.2 does not yet recognize the
different shuffle colors, but that will likely change in a future
update.

(4) Has anything else changed to make this shuffle a better value?
Yes, there are other small changes, noted below, but they don’t
radically change the shuffle’s value equation. The colored shuffles
sell for the silver version’s prior $79 price, and still come with one
set of earphones, one Dock, thin manuals, Apple stickers, and an
LED-decoding card, nothing else. These shuffles all have the same 1
Gigabyte (240-song) storage capacity as before.

(3) So what’s new, then - the Earphones? Last year’s silver
shuffles shipped with Apple’s old, somewhat uncomfortable, and
bass-weak earbuds, even though the shuffle came out after two new
iPod/iPod nano models that had lighter, better earbuds. Today, all of
the shuffles come with Apple’s latest earphones, which are also sold
separately for $29 as Apple iPod Earphones (iLounge rating: B+).

(2) How do I tell old and new metal shuffles apart? If you’re
buying a green, pink, blue, or orange iPod shuffle, you’re guaranteed
to find the new earphones inside. But if you’re buying a silver iPod
shuffle, look for a package with gray print alongside the shuffle,
rather than green print. The gray print indicates that new earphones
are inside; the green print indicates that you’re getting the older
ones.

(1) What about the sound quality, or other changes? The latest
iPod shuffles sound the same as the ones shipped last year, which is to
say a step below other iPods - particularly in base level of noise -
when used with high-quality earphones. We still prefer the nano and
fifth-generation iPod to the shuffle by a fair margin. Apple appears to
have left everything else about the shuffle the same.

powered by performancing firefox

NEW COLORS FOR THE iPOD SHUFFLE

HOWTO: Manage multiple libraries in iTunes 7

"iTunes 7 has some new and improved features to help people manage their
music, movies, podcasts and pictures. One of the long-awaited features
is the support for multiple libraries. A library (in the iTunes realm)
is an XML file that stores the information about your media you use in
iTunes. All of the songs you have in iTunes are referenced in the XML
library file. I will show you how to manage multiple libraries with
iTunes 7. This is good for people with iPods. You can have one library
just for your iPod’s music and another for all of your music."



CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW

8 Tips to Improve Apple iPod’s Battery Performance (Life)

Apple iPod the world’s best digital audio player is liked and owned by many music lovers. In this post I am writing some tips that helped me get most out of my 30GB video iPod’s (5G) battery. Apple claims that 30GB 5G video iPods give about 12-14 hour of listening experience but in reality it is much lower as these tests are done in standard test conditions which are far different from real conditions, by using these tips you will able to get those claimed figures.

Pre-requisite:

iTunes 7.0 or later. Get the latest iTunes from here.Update the your iPod’s firmware to Version 1.2 Apple iPod ofcourse is needed.

Tips to get most out of your 30GB Apple video iPod (5G) battery
1. Always update your iPod software (firmware) to latest available
The latest firmware for 30GB iPod (5G) is version 1.2 which gives you better power management features which the latest 5.5G iPod come pre-loaded.

2. Use the Brightness Control Setting
Once you update to the latest firmware i.e Ver.1.2 then you should be able to access brightness control for you iPod’s screen, brightness control can be accessed by “iPod menu>Settings>Brightness”. The screen brightness is one of the main power draining factors, reduce the brightness of your screen when you are only listening to songs. I have set my screen brightness to the minimum possible level when I am listening to songs, that saves lot of battery power. When watching videos in a dark environment you can set the screen brightness to 50% that will boost your video playback to great extent. Given below are some photos which show screen brightness control.

Click on the images to enlarge

iPod screen brightness at max

iPod screen brightness at around 30% of max setting

3. Set the Backlight Timer to Minimum
Set the backlight timer to minimum as this will reduce the time that your iPod takes to switch of the backlight for the screen. The backlight timer setting can be accessed from “iPod’s menu>Settings>Backlight Timer”. I have set it to 2 seconds that means my iPod’s backlight will switch off after two seconds of inactivity. I usually set the backlight to OFF state when I am using the iPod in bright areas where there is enough light that makes iPod screen readable even with backlight switched OFF.

4. Use the Hold Switch
Always enable the hold switch which is provided in the top left corner of iPod which prevents the accidental switching ON of your backlight when buttons are pressed. Whenever you are not using iPod always enable the hold switch so that iPod does not wake up from its sleep if any of the buttons are pressed accidentally.

5. Avoid Frequent Change of Tracks
The iPod’s advanced cache mechanism always reads ahead the upcoming tracks and stores them in its memory so that it need not spin up the hard drive thus saving battery power, so if you keep on changing tracks frequently iPod’s hard drive will be spinning frequently there by reducing the battery life. Create playlists that can help you from this trouble.

6. Always put iPod to sleep when not using it.
Always put iPod to sleep mode when you are not planning to use it, this can be done by pressing the play/pause button continuously. Don’t forget to enable the hold switch.

7. Disable the Equalizer
If the equalizer of your iPod is ON then it forces the iPod’s processors to process the songs so that the desired sound effect is achieved there by decreasing the battery life. I personally don’t use this tip as I love the sound equalizer but I am giving this tip for those people who are contended with the default setting. The equalizer setting can be accessed by “iPod Menu>Settings>EQ”.

8. Use smaller size files for your tracks
iPod’s advanced caching mechanism works best when the track size is less than 9MB, so if you got a large track then try to compress it or split it into smaller chunks so as to make best use of iPod’s caching mechanism.
The Apple iPod uses lithium ion batteries to prolong your lithium ion battery’s life I highly recommend you to read this article written by Isidor Buchmann.

Some tips suggested by Isidor Buchmann for improving lithium ion battery’s life

Avoid frequent full discharges because this puts additional strain on the battery. Several partial discharges with frequent recharges are better for lithium-ion than one deep one. Recharging a partially charged lithium-ion does not cause harm because there is no memory. (In this respect, lithium-ion differs from nickel-based batteries.) Short battery life in a laptop is mainly cause by heat rather than charge / discharge patterns.Batteries with fuel gauge (laptops) should be calibrated by applying a deliberate full discharge once every 30 charges. Running the pack down in the equipment does this. If ignored, the fuel gauge will become increasingly less accurate and in some cases cut off the device prematurely.Keep the lithium-ion battery cool. Avoid a hot car. For prolonged storage, keep the battery at a 40% charge level.Consider removing the battery from a laptop when running on fixed power. (Some laptop manufacturers are concerned about dust and moisture accumulating inside the battery casing.)Avoid purchasing spare lithium-ion batteries for later use. Observe manufacturing dates. Do not buy old stock, even if sold at clearance prices.If you have a spare lithium-ion battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge. What measures do you take to improve your iPod’s battery life? If you feel that I have left out some tip then please feel free to let me know via comments.

From shivaranjan.com