Date Archive > November 2004
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November 24, 2004
Sonance Now Shipping High-Tech Hole In The Wall
It seems like I first heard about this months ago (blame an overzealous marketing department?), but Sonance, maker of high-end home/music integration systems, is now shipping the iPort. The iPort is basically an iPod access point for the home audio system. It amounts to a high-tech hole in the wall that provides a docking station for the iPod. If you've sprung for the IR controllers or the optional Navigator In-Wall Keypad, you can control basic iPod functions from anywhere in the house.
Category: News, Speaker Systems | Comments (1)
Massive Amounts of iPods to March Across the Planet
MacWorld UK reports that Charles Wolf, a Wall Street analyst (you know, those financial crystal ball readers) with Needham & Co. predicts that there will be 23.5 million iPods in the hands of happy users by 2006. He goes on to state that since Windows Media Audio will prove to be no competition, there will be 100 million iPods by 2008. That's 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0. We'd better hope we never make them angry.
Category: News | Comments (0)
November 22, 2004
Audible Audaciously Advances
When I saw this news bit about Audible I thought I'd take the opportunity to plug an advertising partner. Seems that Piper Jaffray likes the prospects for the company, upgrading their stock rating and saying that, "Based on Audible's relationship with iTunes, we believe a disproportionate number of Audible listeners are iPod owners." Meaning that the success of iTunes/iPod will only help Audible. Audible.com advertisements may appear on iPoditude.com and by clicking on them and signing up with a great service, you can help support the web site. Thanks.
Category: News | Comments (0)
November 19, 2004
Rumor: iTunes Japan Early Next Year
Japan is still one of Apple's biggest challenges, but when it comes to the iPod they're iCrazy for it. The iPod is said to hold 50% of the portable music player market there. It's no surprise to hear then, that Reuters is reporting that Apple is planning on opening an iTunes store specializing in Japanese music. There are currently nine online music stores operating in Japan, so they'll be facing some competition, and Japanese customers are used to paying up to 400 yen ($3.84) per song. Honto desu ka?!
Category: News | Comments (0)
November 17, 2004
iPod photo Reviews
As expected, there is a flood of iPod photo reviews hitting the Internets. Instead of padding my post count, I've just linked to a bunch of them here and I'll add to the list as they're published. Almost all of them are very positive.
Mike Wendland: Detroit Free Press
David Pogue: New York Times (Registration hint - check out the BugMeNot.com link on the right.)
Christopher Breen: Playlistmag.com
Mike Langberg: Portsmouth Herald
Stephen Williams: Los Angeles Times (Log in page warning - BugMeNot.com I'm telling you.)
Hadley Stern: MacDevCenter.com (Good pictures.)
Cathy Lu: Digit UK publication.
Ipodlounge.com: Part 1, Part 2
Christopher Breen (again?!): MacWorld
I too, want to "rollick in the pomp and circumstance that inevitably characterize big product launches."
Category: News | Comments (0)
November 15, 2004
Rumor: iPod Games
Rumors have surfaced about a company named Digital River striking a deal to provide technological assistance to Apple for downloading games to the iPod. The rumor states that this service that Apple will control will be available on the "next version" of the iPod.
Whatever this next version of the iPod might be, and when it may come out is not known. However, I see this as a possibility: all models of the next version of the iPod have color screens. The games might be sold either by iTunes or by using an iTunes-like application and business model, meaning that a small fee would be charged for each game. These games might be small in file size, not very graphics intensive, and similar to the already present solitaire or the simple games found on cell phones. Apple can make money by licensing the iPod API to developers. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for something like that though.
Category: News | Comments (9)
