September 26, 2007

Amazon MP3 store is the first real Apple challenger

Yesterday, Amazon launched a beta of Amazon MP3, a Web-based store that sells music without restrictive DRM and in the widely supported MP3 format. Unlike other stores based off Microsoft DRM technology and file formats, this means that Amazon files can easily be played on the most popular portable devices -- Apple's iPod family. Consumers will benefit from the store launch, and at last, Apple will be given some real competition in the digital download market. As usual, some of the major record labels still can't decide what to do, despite seeing the success of the Apple store.

Continue reading "Amazon MP3 store is the first real Apple challenger" »

Posted by TomR at 03:22 PM |

February 06, 2007

Time for Apple to increase ITS video resolution

Later this month, Apple will start shipping Apple TV, its new set-top designed to enable iTunes Store video and audio content to be easily played on high-definition TVs and their accompanying surround sound systems. The device will help bridge the traditional divide between the PC and the TV. But with its release, the company should -- though it may not -- also announce it is upgrading its video to a high definition resolution.

Continue reading "Time for Apple to increase ITS video resolution" »

Posted by TomR at 09:53 PM |

January 10, 2007

Apple's Jobs touts the iPhone as the next big thing

On Tuesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivered his annual keynote address at the 2007 Macworld Conference and Expo. This year, the story of the show was Apple's iPhone, a combination cell phone, iPod, and handheld computer that runs the company's PC operating system, Mac OS X. While most of Jobs' keynote focused on the iPhone, he also revealed some other interesting company details and another product announcement.

Continue reading "Apple's Jobs touts the iPhone as the next big thing" »

Posted by TomR at 03:13 PM |

December 08, 2006

A boom in digital content and DRM headaches will drive "Apple iServ"-like products

Consumers are investing in digital content, but they increasingly face the challenges of needing more storage and having to manage commercial, personal, and hybrid content. As a result, consumers will be drawn to home media servers, lightweight devices designed to store, stream, sync, and manage a household's complex portfolio of digital assets. We examine what Apple, a leader in commercial digital downloads, could offer if it developed its own home media server.

Continue reading "A boom in digital content and DRM headaches will drive "Apple iServ"-like products" »

Posted by TomR at 02:56 PM |

September 20, 2006

The Zune 1.0 dud

Last week, Microsoft officially announced details of its new Zune consumer brand. The September 14th announcement came two days after rival Apple announced a refreshed iPod family, updated iTunes software for Windows and Mac OS X, and a revamped iTunes Store that now supports movie downloads. The verdict? The soon-to-arrive Microsoft device and its accompanying Zune-branded ecosystem will not slow the iPod juggernaut. Zune, in its initial 1.0 incarnation, will be a dud.

Continue reading "The Zune 1.0 dud" »

Posted by TomR at 01:42 PM |

July 24, 2006

Microsoft's consumer obsession leads to Zune

For the last week, the rumor of Zune, reportedly some kind of Microsoft-branded iPod, dominated tech news, community, and blog sites. The general media was obsessed, too, as the Zune story offered so many enticing angles, such as Microsoft battling its arch-rival Apple, the company now defining the digital music experience; Microsoft back-stabbing its digital music partners by embracing a vertical digital music strategy; and Microsoft jumping deeper into the consumer electronics space despite huge...

Continue reading "Microsoft's consumer obsession leads to Zune" »

Posted by TomR at 01:36 PM |

May 15, 2006

Microsoft and URGE won't defeat Apple in digital audio

To take on Apple Computer in the digital audio market, Microsoft is playing favorites, tying its latest effort to dethrone Apple on the soon to be unveiled URGE music service. URGE, due May 17, is a product of Viacom's MTV Networks. MTV Networks includes the youth-oriented MTV properties, the older demographic VH1 offerings, and the country music CMT brands. Announced last December, the service will not provide the only digital music store that can be...

Continue reading "Microsoft and URGE won't defeat Apple in digital audio" »

Posted by TomR at 04:21 PM |

March 23, 2006

Comparing Vista and PS3 delays, Sony has more to lose than Microsoft

The tech world has been abuzz with the announcement and the speculation of the causes and impact of two high-profile product delays. Sony announced that the Playstation3 (PS3) would finally ship in early November of this year; a week later, Microsoft announced that the first edition of its updated operating system, Windows Vista, would not ship until November (with consumer versions to ship in January of 2007.Both of these products are critical to their respective...

Continue reading " Comparing Vista and PS3 delays, Sony has more to lose than Microsoft" »

Posted by TomR at 04:06 PM |

March 13, 2006

Consumer tech and digital content: Rough times ahead before a more rational, simplified future

Two changes in how consumers use, access, and consume entertainment technology and content are already well under way, particularly in affluent, tech-aware households. They are:The adoption of monitors for computer and TV use. The TV-versus-PC debate was never worth the amount of time spent on it. Years ago, back when "conversion" was still a hot topic, we talked about how TVs were becoming monitors and that with high resolution, content could be viewed anywhere. In...

Continue reading " Consumer tech and digital content: Rough times ahead before a more rational, simplified future" »

Posted by TomR at 04:25 PM |

February 22, 2006

NBC leads while CBS flails in digital distribution

To highlight the current difference between winners and losers in the digital content distribution race, lets look at recent efforts by the US television networks NBC and CBS. While the networks current activities will not be their only or long-term approaches to delivering content over the Internet, they are high-profile corporate initiatives that demonstrate each organization's understanding of the market, the technology, and the digital content consumer.Let's start with NBC. It jumped on Apple's iTunes...

Continue reading " NBC leads while CBS flails in digital distribution" »

Posted by TomR at 04:33 PM |