Science and technology news blog

Recent reports have suggested that listening to Apple’s iPod in a storm is a naughty thing to do and Mother Nature punishes you by giving you the biggest shock of your life, quite literally. Here is a report that will make you shudder from head to toe:

The man had burns along his chest and neck where his earphone wires lay. The insides of his ears also were burned—and then the ear buds conducted the current into his head.

As if its options woes weren’t trouble enough, Apple Computer Inc. said Friday it is facing several federal lawsuits, including one alleging the company created an illegal monopoly by tying iTunes music and video sales to its market-leading iPod portable players.

The case, filed July 21, is over Apple’s use of a copy-protection system that generally prevents iTunes music and video from playing on rival players. Likewise, songs purchased elsewhere aren’t easily playable on iPods.

The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages and other relief. The court denied Apple’s motion to dismiss the complaint on Dec. 20.

Another lawsuit, filed Nov. 7, alleges that the logic board of Apple’s iBook G4 fails at an abnormally high rate. The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Apple said its response to the complaint is not yet due.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company also disclosed that PhatRat Technology LLC filed a lawsuit Oct. 24 alleging patent infringement. The Nike-iPod product in question, developed jointly with Nike Inc., allow runners to keep track of how far and how fast they’ve gone. The company’s response to the complaint is not yet due.

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In research findings reminiscent of George Orwell’s classic “1984,” a University of Washington report on Thursday revealed that Big Brother could find a way to track iPod users.

The report raises privacy concerns about the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a US$29 wirelesssystem that allows Nike+ footwear to communicate with an iPod nano, according to Scott Saponas, who led the research. The kit includes an in-shoe sensor and a receiver that attaches to the iPod.

When the Nike+ footwear connects to an iPod nano via the Nike+iPod Sport Kit, information on time, distance, calories burned and pace is stored on the iPod and displayed on its screen; real-time audible feedback also is provided through the iPod’s headphones.

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This is promising to be the biggest battle on the digital front. On the one hand we have the iPod, clearly the favourite. On the other hand we have the Zune, Microsofts latest offering. Apple has no doubt done a tremendous job with the iPod and all of its various incarnations. However, the very fact that Microsoft has stepped into their turf should be reason enough for Apple to start innovating from scratch.

Microsoft is known for its ruthless approach. We have seen what it has done with IE, Windows, and now Xbox 360. With over 30 billion dollars in its war chest, I dont think that it will be too worried about getting instant profits from Zune sales. They are in for the long run and this is good news for us consumers.

But the Zune is crap, isnt it? Depends who you ask. A lot of people are so used to the iPod that they expect every new product to be like an iPod. But thats not what Microsofts intentions are. Obviously they do not want to be called copycats. And there are those who are very impressed by the potential of the Zune, including me. A bigger screen, supposedly clearer and brighter picture than the iPod, wireless, FM all these features definitely make it better than the iPod. But why on earth did they select brown as one of the colours. No matter what anybody says, brown is definitely not cool. Maybe a variation of blue or red would have made it cool or hot, respectively, but brown.

At electronics retailers, iPods and iPod accessories have become so popular and diverse, they now warrant their own specially designated section of the stores. But they might have to scooch over a bit this holiday season as Microsoft releases its highly anticipated competitor—Zune.

The Zune digital media player hit stores this month. The 30 GB player with its bright 3-inch LCD screen retails for $249.99, making it a formidable competitor of the hot selling 30 GB Apple iPod, which has a slightly smaller screen and retails for $1.99 less.

The video iPod comes in black or white; Zune comes in black, white or brown. In addition to music, the iPod plays movies, video clips, audio books and games. So does Zune. Consumers can download music and more for both players through the manufacturers’ online stores. And both devices can be heavily accessorized.

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It has taken the combined brain power of 230 developers and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Finally, yesterday, America got its hands on Microsoft’s answer to the iPod the much-hyped Zune portable music and video player.

Due to be launched in Britain after Christmas, the Zune is designed to capture a share of the lucrative portable digital music market pioneered by Apple.

But the critics are divided on its merits. And the launch seems to have passed most New Yorkers by.

There weren’t any queues at Best Buy in NoHo, Manhattan, when I collected mine as the store opened at 10am. “We’ve had a few calls,” the shop assistant said. “But I don’t think that many people know about it.”

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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 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.

Microsoft’s plans to offer an iPod competitor could take up to five years of investment, but the spending is worth it in part because it will help the software maker’s broader entertainment agenda, a company executive said Thursday.

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft Corp.’s entertainment and devices group, told financial analysts that the company’s planned Zune product line will require millions of dollars in investment and will not pay off immediately.

“This is something that’s going to be a three-, four-, five-year investment horizon,” Bach said at a daylong meeting on the company’s Redmond campus.

But Bach said Zune is key to Microsoft’s overall entertainment ambitions and will capitalize on—and tie into—the company’s other entertainment offerings. These include the Xbox video game console, Microsoft’s television technology and the media-focused version of the Windows operating system that lets people do things like record and watch live television.

“We’re not just introducing Zune to do the same thing that other people do,” Bach said in an apparent reference to Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iPod music and video player and iTunes store.

Microsoft has been working for years to break into consumer electronics with such products as software to record live television and play games. It has had some success, particularly with the Xbox and its highly popular online game service, Xbox Live.

Bach said Microsoft hopes to create a similar sense of community with Zune that it has with Xbox Live, allowing users to share music playlists and video, and learn about things like upcoming concerts.

Microsoft has offered few details about Zune, which is expected to be in stores this fall. It’s expected to be tied to a content service.

The software maker faces tough competition from Apple’s iPod and iTunes. Other hardware manufacturers, including Creative Technology Ltd. and Samsung Electronics Co., offer portable media players using Microsoft’s software, although they’ve had little success against Apple.

Microsoft has poured resources into its money-losing video game business, particularly with the launch of its Xbox 360 late last year. Bach said Thursday he hopes the games business will be profitable in Microsoft’s fiscal year ending in June 2008.

Apple Computer has rejected claims it is acting illegally by only allowing music downloaded from its iTunes online music store to be played on its own digital music players.

The decision sets the stage for a long battle between consumer protection agencies across the Nordic region and the US computer giant.

Norways Consumer Council, backed by Denmark and Sweden, says the practice is illegal and wants changes to allow downloaded music to be played on any MP3 player, such as mobile phones.

Powerful consumer protection legislation in the Nordic region means that Apple faces a series of fines and possible closure if it is found guilty of breaking the law.

In a letter to Norways Ombudsman arbitrator, Apple rejected these claims, saying the practice was not unfair. It admitted, however, it should clarify the situation in its marketing.

Torgeir Waterhouse, a senior adviser to the Norwegian Consumer Council, told the FT: Our position is that this is a tool to lock consumers into their products.

He added: This is just the start of a long struggle. We are at the beginning of a booming digital market and if we dont win this one then we wont be able to achieve a fair marketplace.

The release of Apples letter followed a series of moves by the US company to try and suppress it, claiming that it contained industrial secrets. These claims were rejected by Norways Ombudsman, although the letter did eventually appear with significant portions blacked out. I question why this is necessary, said Mr Waterhouse.

The Ombudsman will now assess Apples response before deciding on any possible further action. (more…)

Microsoft’s plans to offer an iPod competitor could take up to five years of investment, but the spending is worth it in part because it will help the software maker’s broader entertainment agenda, a company executive said Thursday.

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft Corp.’s entertainment and devices group, told financial analysts that the company’s planned Zune product line will require millions of dollars in investment and will not pay off immediately.

“This is something that’s going to be a three-, four-, five-year investment horizon,” Bach said at a daylong meeting on the company’s Redmond campus.

But Bach said Zune is key to Microsoft’s overall entertainment ambitions and will capitalize on—and tie into—the company’s other entertainment offerings. These include the Xbox video game console, Microsoft’s television technology and the media-focused version of the Windows operating system that lets people do things like record and watch live television.

“We’re not just introducing Zune to do the same thing that other people do,” Bach said in an apparent reference to Apple Computer Inc.’s market-leading iPod music and video player and iTunes store.

Microsoft has been working for years to break into consumer electronics with such products as software to record live television and play games. It has had some success, particularly with the Xbox and its highly popular online game service, Xbox Live. (more…)