Science and technology news blog

A couple of days ago, Infinite Loop reported on a research note from Forrester Research which said that Apple’s music sales were slowing and that sales of the company’s venerable iPod were failing to drive downloads from the iTunes Store. Two days after Forrester’s report, investment firm Piper Jaffray has released its own report saying that no, the iTunes Store is doing just fine in terms of growth.

Analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray says that through September, iTunes Store weekly sales are up 78 percent from 2005. Munster’s report is based on Apple company data, according to Reuters, and shows that Apple sold 695 million tracks through September, a total of 18.5 million per week.

In contrast, Forrester’s figures come from a analysis of credit and debit card purchases from the iTunes Store, made over a 26-month period ending in June 2006. From April 2004 through January 2006, Apple saw a seven-fold increase in transactions, according to Forrester, with the average transaction size growing to $6.69 from $3.55. Since the beginning of the year, the number of transactions has fallen by 58 percent, with the average transaction size dropping to $5.56. Only 3 percent of US Internet-using households made purchases at the iTunes Store during that period.

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Claims that Apple are looking at the games market are accurate according to Apple Insiders however the problem for Apple is getting access to a processor that can deliver the speed needed for an advanced games console.

12 months ago approched IBM in an attempt to get access to the cell processor now found in the new PS3. This was knocked back because of Sony’s investment and part ownership of the processor development program.The Cell processor consists of a general-purpose power PC processor core connected to eight special-purpose DSP cores. These DSP cores, which IBM calls “synergistic processing elements are what make the Cell processor unique. It is this unique capability that Sony is banking on over the next few years to give them a big gaming advantage over the Xbox and the Nintendo Wii.

This week in Sydney the Vice President of Technology for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Paul Holman and I discussed the possibility of Apple entering the games market. “It is possible and we are aware that they have been looking at several oppertunities” he said. “They would need a very good processor like the cell which right now is delivering a lot of power to the PS 3 which developers have discovered has given them a lot of headroom to further develop new gaming capabilities” he4 addeded.

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Apples new Core 2 Duo is receiving rave reviews, with the unit outperforming the older Core Duo models. But if youre a serious gamer or want to run Vista at the same time, youll need the MacBook Pro.

Seduced by the thought of getting a brand new portable Mac so you can run Mac OS X and Windows Vista at the same time? Then dont get a MacBook, get a MacBook Pro.

Thats a shame, because the MacBook is a beautiful machine. But thanks to a 2Gb memory limit, and the use of an integrated graphics system, AKA the Intel GMA 950, serious computer users wanting maximum performance will find a MacBook Pro is better suited to their needs.

This is because the MacBook Pro has an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics chip with far more graphical grunt than Intels integrated solution. They also have their own dedicated memory, rather than sharing the 2Gb of memory the MacBook can handle.

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The Apple iPhone rumour mill re-emerged today with news that iPod manufacturer and ‘sweatshop operator’, Foxconn Electronics, has the go ahead from Apple to produce 12 million iPhones for release in the first half of 2007.

We reckon they’re kidding themselves. The way Apple fanboys buy up anything with white enamel and an Apple logo, 12 million units is only going to last a couple of hours on the Apple Store, let alone making on to retail shelves.

The rumours get more elaborate, elsewhere with claims that Apple CEO Steve Jobs may show the handset off at Macworld Expo in January and that there may actually be two mobile models up for grabs.

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Since its release in January, Apples MacBook Pro has been a hot item. Now that an updated version with a new processor is shipping, Mac users are hoping that the laptop is a little less hot in one area in particulartheir laps.

The new MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo models generally run cooler than their predecessorsthough not enough for users to notice. Testing by Macworld Lab found that the switch from the Core Duo processor to Intels next-generation Core 2 Duo offering slightly reduced the 2.16GHz MacBook Pros persistent fever. However, the 2.33GHz model got just as hot as its Core Duo counterparts. Still, considering the Core 2 Duos superior speed and power, these results show improvement in the MacBook Pros system-cooling technology.

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Apple Computer Inc. introduced iTunes Latino on Wednesday, a service featuring popular telenovelas, or soap operas, from Telemundo and an increased collection of Latin music that can be downloaded from the online store.

The Cupertino company’s popular online music store already offers Latin song downloads, but for the first time it will feature a dedicated corner with television shows from Telemundo, music videos, podcasts, audio books and music from artists such as Paulina Rubio and Cafe Tacuba.

The new service hopes to tap into a fast-growing and wired community. An estimated 24.8 million Latino consumers are online, and that population is expected to grow to 34 million by 2011, according to JupiterResearch.

“It’s the largest minority group in the United States, so we know there’s a huge opportunity in going beyond what we were doing” before, said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We’re now offering a lot more variety and a lot more choice.”

The songs and television shows will be sold at the regular iTunes price of 99 cents per song and $1.99 per television episode.

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SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Computer Inc. announced today that it would begin selling the new iPod Shuffle music player from Friday November 3. The company had previously showcased the matchbook-sized Shuffle in September.

The iPod Shuffle has a capacity of 1 gigabyte and can hold up to 240 songs. It will retail for $79 down from the previous model’s selling price of $140. The year-ending holiday season is very important for Apple as the sales volumes shoot up during these last months.

Additionally the earnings will determine the company’s year-end financial results. Last year Apple had sold 14 million iPods during the fourth quarter. The iPod has become iconic ever since its introduction five years ago. Apple has sold almost 70 million iPods since October 2001 when the music player was introduced.

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Apple Computer will reportedly start selling the smallest version of its iPod Shuffle, and the world’s smallest digital music player, tomorrow onwards.

The company says this new iPod Shuffle, which is 1.62-inches long – about the size of a matchbox, holds up to 240 songs, and like the original, does not have a display to show what it is playing.

Around half the size of the original that was introduced in January 2005, the small Shuffle is all of 14 grams, includes 1-gigabyte of storage, has a built-in clip for portability, with the battery being able to last for around 12 hours.

In a statement, Greg Joswiak, vice president, Apple, said that with this Shuffle s ultra-compact design and built-in clip, it is going to be the most wearable iPod ever. The tiny Shuffle completes Apple’s all new line-up of iPods for the holiday season and beyond.

The new iPod Shuffle is based on the company’s pioneering Shuffle feature that serves up a continuous mix of favorite songs to music lovers, wherever they might go. Besides, users can enjoy songs in a random order, or simply flip a switch to listen to songs in a particular order like they would do whilst listening to a new album.

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All of you die-hard iPod enthusiasts may be dejected to learn that research has shown that Microsoft Zune may be posing a bigger threat to Apples iPod than you are willing to realize or admit.

ABI Research has released the findings of a new study that reveal that many prospective MP3 player buyers including current iPod owners would be likely to choose Microsofts Zune over Apples star product.

When 1,725 teenage and adult US residents were asked whether they planned to buy an MP3 player in the next 12 months, of those responding they were likely to do so, 58 percent revealed they were somewhat likely or extremely likely to choose a Microsoft Zune player over the iPod or another MP3 player brand.

This 58 percent that were likely to go the way of the Microsoft Zune all identified themselves as existing iPod owners. The respondents owning other brands, 59 percent, were also somewhat or extremely likely to purchase the Microsoft Zune as opposed to another brand including the iPod.

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The rumor mill about Apple’s future products has started again and this time it’s not about movies or iPods, but about another ‘secret’ project. A research analyst from Prudential Equity Group, Jesse Tortora, said that his checks indicate that Apple may launch not one, but two cell phones, as soon as January 2007.

According to Apple Insider, Tortora believes that one model will be a smart phone, including integrated keyboard, video and music capability, while the other model will be a slimmer phone with just music functionality.

“Although these phones represent significant upside earnings potential for the company, there are some concerns regarding market acceptance and battery life, given the number of functions included in the phones,” he wrote.

Also, in an exclusive story, AppleInsider reports that Apple filed for a trademark on the term iPhone. ‘The filing, made last month with a Far Eastern trademark office, is the latest in a long list of incontrovertible evidence to suggest the Cupertino, Calif.-based iPod maker is in the final developmental stages of the project, which is expected to merge traditional cellular capabilities with an iPod digital music player.’ wrote AppleInsider.

The computer and music company Apple has warned that some of its iPod music players may be harbouring a virus.

Less than 1 per cent of video iPods sold after 12 September were carrying the RavMonE virus, which affects computers using the Windows operating system, the company said yesterday.

The iPods were infected with the virus from a Windows computer at one of its manufacturing plants in China. It will only be activated if the iPod is plugged into a Windows computer, and Apple said that up-to-date anti-virus software should recognise the malicious virus.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for computer security firm Sophos, said: “If you have bought a Video iPod in the last month there is a chance that it could have a Windows virus on it.”

But he said there was confusion over “precisely which Trojan horse or virus” was infecting iPods. He said the virus was likely to be a member of the W32/RJump virus family, which tries to steal information from an infected PC.

More than 32 million iPods were sold last year but Apple said yesterday that it had received less than 25 reports concerning the problem. Only video iPods, rather than the smaller Nano and Shuffle music players, are affected by the virus and the company said all video iPods now shipping are virus free.

“We are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and more upset with ourselves for not catching it,” an Apple website statement said.

Earlier this week it was reported that McDonald’s in Japan was recalling 10,000 MP3 players it had distributed in a Coca Cola promotion because of a spyware program that logs keystrokes and sends them back to computer hackers.

In a question-and-answer session with Newsweek, Apple CEO Steve Jobs slammed Microsoft’s Zune music player, saying he was not impressed with the Redmond company’s entrant. Jobs said the music sharing abilities of the player were too complicated and slow.

“It takes forever,” Jobs chided. “By the time you’ve gone through all that, the girl’s got up and left! You’re much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you’re connected with about two feet of headphone cable.”

In a three-page online interview, Jobs also touched on other aspects of the iPod, whose fifth anniversary is October 23. He said early on, the project had a feeling that it was going to be a success as developers and everyone who saw the players wanted one themselves.

“We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through,” Jobs said of the iPod.

A common thread as of late with the introduction of the Zune has also been the discussion of how the iPod could lose its “cool factor” due to its overwhelming popularity. “It doesn’t make any sense,” Jobs shot back. “We don’t strive to appear cool. We just try to make the best products we can. And if they are cool, well, that’s great.”

Finally, speaking of interoperability, Jobs dismissed notions that users did not know they were buying into a closed system when purchasing the iPod. The user has known that all along, he said.

“People know up front that when they buy music from the iTunes music store it plays on iPods, and so we’re not trying to hide anything there,” Jobs added.

Forget the browser wars of the past: the real tech battle is about to begin. Ready for the operating system catfight?

With the announcement of its upcoming Leopard operating system, Apple Computer Inc. means to present a direct challenge to industry behemoth Microsoft. And it’s likely that within the next year, both consumers and businesses will have to decide between Redmond’s massive OS overhaul or the latest kitty out of Cupertino.

Before Apple’s recent announcement that it would be releasing OS X 10.5, called Leopard, it appeared that Apple would be drawing mainly on its streamlined OS interface to try and best Microsoft, along with emphasis on its switch to Intel. But the recent news that it would be building robust features into Leopard puts the fresh system directly in competition with Vista, changing the rules of engagement.

Cat’s Meow

As Microsoft began its campaign to ease users into thinking about Vista, it seemed that Apple’s only answer would be to point out that it now runs on Intel chip, and emphasize the ability to toggle between Windows and Mac systems thanks to new software.

Some speculated that Apple’s new application, Boot Camp, could be enough to draw at least a small percentage of users away from Windows.

In some ways, that may still be the case. Considered a boon for Mac users, and a compelling option for those who’ve been intrigued by Macs but don’t want to fully commit, Boot Camp is an alluring application. It allows users to install and run Windows XP on a Mac, as well as toggle between the two simply by restarting and holding down the option key, the application is already available in a public beta.

“Boot Camp will win over a small percentage of customers that won’t migrate to Apple’s OS because of applications that don’t run on Apple,” says Samir Bhavnani, director of research at Current Analysis. “The company has been good about getting to the point where they say to users, ‘you don’t have to switch completely. We understand about you need to run Windows sometimes. But we’ll also allow you to have an Apple experience.’”

Although Apple is now getting stronger both as a brand and as a profitable company, things don’t look so good when it comes to its environment-friendly policy. This is why Greenpeace has rated both Apple and Lenovo with low scores in its investigation.

Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics is meant to show customers how electronics companies comply with rules that concern the safety and protection of the environment. Greenpeace claims that instead of focusing on products that are easily recyclable, most customers should orientate towards the type of toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process and avoid products that contain them.

The environmental group says it hopes the guide will be used “to create demand for toxic-free electronics which can be safely recycled, by informing consumers about company performance on these two issues.”

Surprisingly or not, none of the 14 computer companies included in Greenpeace’s investigation managed to obtain a green ranking.

“The scorecard will provide a dynamic tool to green the electronics sector by setting off a race to the top. By taking back their discarded products, companies will have incentives to eliminate harmful substances used in their products, since this is the only way they can ensure safe reuse and recycling of electronic waste,” said Iza Kruszewska, Greenpeace International toxics campaigner.