On the off chance that the Coen Bros. talking up the virtues of Final Cut Studio 2 doesn’t have you reaching for your charge card yet, you could try out this testimonial from director Miranda July, who made the truly wonderful “Me and You and Everyone We Know” last year.
If nothing else, this NAB keynote is bringing us plenty of insight into the creative process for a wide range of directors.
Technorati Tags: apple, director, final cut studio, testimonial
Despite rumors of its demise, Apple’s Get a Mac ad campaign rolls on. Introduced this week are Stuffed (above) Computer Cart and Flashback, both after the jump. Of the three, the journey back to the childhood of Mac and PC is my favorite, but this series is really starting to feel tired. There’s only so much more that Apple can do here, and I’m ready to see them, you know, actually show the goods with OS X instead of just going abstract.
Just my 2 cents. Click through to see the others.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Apple’s much-analyzed decision to delay the release of Leopard, Mac OS X 10.5, until October. Ultimately, it’s not that big a deal. If you read between the lines, the diversion of software development resources to finish the iPhone could have long-term benefits for the platform.
As a refresher, here’s what Apple had to say for themselves:
iPhone has already passed several of its required certification tests and is on schedule to ship in late June as planned. We can’t wait until customers get their hands (and fingers) on it and experience what a revolutionary and magical product it is. However, iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price we had to borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from our Mac OS X team, and as a result we will not be able to release Leopard at our Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as planned. While Leopard’s features will be complete by then, we cannot deliver the quality release that we and our customers expect from us. We now plan to show our developers a near final version of Leopard at the conference, give them a beta copy to take home so they can do their final testing, and ship Leopard in October. We think it will be well worth the wait. Life often presents tradeoffs, and in this case we’re sure we’ve made the right ones.
I have to agree. After all, many of the best innovations — or at least great new products, are created by mixing the DNA of one successful platform with another. OS X and the iPhone OS share a hell of a lot of code. Apple should have no trouble at all adding multi-touch support to Macs. I’m hoping to see the world’s greatest tablet laptop — and the first one worth owning — emerge from this delay in the first place.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball has an interesting view of just why Apple fell behind in the first place, too. Check it out.
Don’t you just love when mainstream business media try to use technology code names? For the future record, guys, Apple is working on Leopard. Jaguar came out almost five years, under the unsexy name “Mac OS X v10.2.” But hey, it’s all big cats, right?
There’s several new screenshots lighting up the internet that are purportedly taken from a new Leopard build (9A410).
Posted to Hackintosh, MacRumors, Flickr and elsewhere, the screenshots show a new, simple UI that’s darker and sharper than the current — note the corners of windows are no longer rounded. There’s less brushed metal, more soothing grey.
The screenshots on Flickr look much more like the current UI (Tiger) ,except Mail now has a metallic look.
But there’s something fishy about them. The interface is too plain and stripped back.
Many on the MacRumors’ forums think the screens are fake, and one poster on Flickr is sure about it.:
“Fake! Fake! Fake!
I write themes for OSX. And, I can tell you how this was most probably done:
The file Extras.rsrc still kinda works in the betas for 10.5 although, I hope that it will be removed before release.
Anyway, Installer based themes (though out of favor in 10.4) still work by replacing Extras.rsrc among other files.
Someone swapped out the normal Extras.rsrc and took some screen shots. Since most of the guts of 10.5 do not depend upon Extras.rsrc anymore, I am confident that 10.5 would run with a 10.4 Extras file for now.
Note that you do not see any signs of resolution independence! That is what would break this fake theme (since res independence calls to images not stored in Extras.rsrc).”
More screens after the jump
Filings discovered today by AppleInsider and noted on April 5th at the US Patent and Trademark Office show that Apple Corps has given up more of the trademarks associated with The Beatles’ own company than was expected as part of the landmark settlement in February… (Steve Jobs’ Apple Inc.) received the rights to use imagery virtually inseparable from Apple Corps’ music business, including the centerpiece green apple and two variants with the fruit cut in half.
FT.com — Music labels ask Apple to adopt subscription:
The world’s biggest music companies are expected to ask Apple to introduce a music subscription service to its iTunes digital media store as part of negotiations to renew their agreements with the computer company.
Ars Technica — Why Apple can’t sell movies:
There are at least five problems the Apple TV alone cannot solve for the iTunes Store:
3. Access: At present, there is no option to rent movies on the iTunes Store, and, unlike music purchases versus subscription services, renting movies is a preferred method of consuming content. Further, purchasing movies through the iTunes Store still requires a computer, rather than direct shopping using the touted Apple TV.
Webomatica — Apple iTunes: Music Subscription No, Movie Subscription Yes:
If Apple is even remotely thinking about offering iTunes Store subscriptions for its music, I really hope they don’t – and instead apply the subscription model to iTunes Movies instead.
AppleInsider | MGM flicks arrive on Apple’s iTunes Store:
MGM flicks arrive on Apple’s iTunes Store By AppleInsider Staff Published: 09:00 AM EST Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Apple announced Wednesday that MGM is now offering titles from its catalog of feature films for purchase and download on the iTunes Store.
TUAW : AppleTV Commercial Follow-up:
Apple TV Commercial Follow-Up by Erica Sadun, The Unofficial Apple Weblog Eagle-eyed TUAW reader Klemens noticed that the Apple TV in the commercial had only a power-cord and no connections to a TV. Here are a few other things you may (or may not) have noticed.
So Apple’s had one HELL of a first quarter, haven’t they? With tax day nearly upon us, I thought it might be a good idea to look back at how well Apple is answering the issues that I thought were important late in December of last year, especially now that the AppleTV is out in the market and the iPhone has set the world on fire with its hype flames. Or something. So click through — we’ll laugh, we’ll cry, and we’ll learn something about forecasting. Here, again, are the 10 Questions Apple Must Answer in 2007 — and how well they’re responding.
Technorati Tags: apple, speculation, Steve Jobs
Anyone check out the new AppleTV ad yet? It’s narrated by none other than John Krasinski, better known as Jim “Fat” Halpert on NBC’s “The Office.” Interestingly enough, HP has a huge promotional concern on the series, and its displays are everywhere on the show. Apple always wins, don’t they?
Via TVAddict.
Thanks, Kimra!
Dig it. Within six months, the Wii and the AppleTV will be one device.
Via Gizmodo.
AppleTV just got one step closer to being a full-fledged replacement for a stand-alone Web-browsing device thanks to AppleTV RSS Plugin from twenty08 software. The fun little app adds a new channel to Apple’s hackable box, and then you can make it display your favorite RSS feed. <cough>US, for example.</cough>
The little application will soon support ATOM feeds and video RSS. Can’t wait. This is all nice, but it still can’t compete with what’s officially supported on the Nintendo Wii, which has a headline news reader, weather and even a complete browser. Isn’t that crazy?
Via Digg.
We’re entering a new phase of iPhone speculation. Last fall was Phase I: Ludicrous predictions from people who have never seen one. January until now has been Phase II: Potshots and Idol Worship. And now on to Phase III: Summaries of the obvious.
I submit as the beachhead indicator of Phase III these comments from UBS Specialist Tony Andersson, who concludes that, brace yourself, iPhone sales could have a negative impact on iPod sales. Phew! Are you breathing again yet?
Technorati Tags: apple, iphone, speculation
Everyone is loving the story of the iPod that allegedly saved the life of U.S. Infantryman Kevin Garrad in Tikrit (read more at Gadget Lab). Though it seems like the perfect story, there is actually more to this tale than you might assume. First of all, the iPod didn’t save his life. His body armor did. And it isn’t even an Apple model. Click through for the rest of the story.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting: EU Music Complaint Focuses on Record Firms:
The true focus of a new European Union complaint alleging unfair online-sales practices by Apple Inc. isn’t the company’s iTunes Store, but the recording industry, an EU spokesman said. The European Commission on Friday sent Apple and four record companies “statements of objections,” accusing them of harming consumers in the United Kingdom and Denmark by charging them more to download songs than residents in other parts of the 27-nation bloc. Regulators want Europeans to be able to shop for better prices and obtain a more varied selection by going to iTunes Web sites outside their home country. (Paid subscription required)
Feel the love, people! MaxGizmo, a band based in Toronto (where I happen to be right now — and I’m a little drunk), has just released a fairly awesome song about the glories of the Mac 512k, the first Mac that was capable of, well, doing stuff. It loses points for casual use of a slur, but the beat’s catchy enough. Dig it!
Thanks, Harrison!
Image via EldoCountry
So, I might or might not be interviewed by On the Media soon regarding my thoughts about the Apple/EMI deal that will soon bring us DRM-free iTunes music downloads. It’ll basically depend on if they can find me a studio in Toronto or not — I’ll keep you posted. In collecting these thoughts, the following thing occurred to me: I have no idea if it’s a good thing or not. After giving it some more thought, it’s definitely good, bad and ugly…I mean, unclear. This is the most theoretical I’ve gotten in awhile, so definitely click through to see what it’s all about.
Look who Apple’s in bed with: the record company that fired the Sex Pistols.
But The Pistols had the last word:
There’s an ulimited supply
And there is no reason why
I tell you it was all a frame
They only did it cos the fame!
Who?
E.M.I.
Too many people had the suss
Too many people support us
An unlimited amount
Too many outlets in and out
Who?
E.M.I.
And sir and friends are crucified
A day they wish that we had died
We are an addition
We are ruled by none
Never ever neverrrrrraaa
And you thought that we were faking
That we were all just money making
You do not believe we’re for real
Or you would lose your cheap appeal ?
Don’t judge a book by the cover
Unless you cover just another
And blind acceptance is a sign
Of stupid fools who stand in line
Like
E.M.I.
Unlimited edition with an unlimited supply
That was the only reason we all had to say goodbye !
Unlimited supply
There is no reason why
I tell you it was all a frame
They only did it cos the fame !
I do not need the pressure
I can’t stand the useless fools !
Unlimited supply
Hallo E.M.I.
Goodbye A & M
The European Union has launched a price probe into Apple’s iTunes.
European regulators are investigating prices Apple charges for tunes in different countries and is accusing it of restricting choice.
European regulators say Apple and the record companies are violating rules that allow EU citizens to buy goods and services in other memeber countries without restriction. The iTunes store uses credit card details to check country of residence, which is used to determine prices and what music catalog is offered.
“Consumers can only buy music from the iTunes online stores in their country of residence and are therefore restricted in their choice of where to buy music,” EU competition spokesman Jonathan Todd told BBC News.
Apple said it had always wanted to offer a fully pan-European service, but was restricted by the demands of its music partners.
“We were advised by the music labels and publishers that there were certain legal limits to the rights they could grant us,” it said in a statement.
Pic by Jeffrey Sharp
Fake Steve Jobs is a hero. While the real Steve is locked away running Apple and guiding breakthroughs like the iPhone, Fake Steve, who invented the friggin’ iPod, is giving revealing interviews to media organizations.
Finally, in a new interview with Engadget, Fake Steve really opens up:
I was really into NeXT, whatever happened with that?
Well, we had some issues around pricing. Like, we figured out what the product should cost, and then we multiplied that by four and set our prices that way. Turns out we were over-overpricing. When I returned to Apple we figured out how to overprice correctly. About 50% more than the reasonable price is about what people are wiling to pay to get a product that makes them cooler than everyone else. So now instedad of over-overpricing, we’re just overpricing. And as our results indicate, it’s working.
That’s why they pay this man the big bucks.
It used to be that three things in life were inevitable: Death, taxes, and paying full Price at retail Apple Stores. Not anymore – scratch the last one off the list. Yes, Virginia – Apple does sell things at clearance prices sometimes.
I ducked into the Union Square Apple Store in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon and stumbled upon two big, clear plastic bins full of cut-rate merchandise – some of it Apple’s, including a Mighty Mouse for $10 off, Magsafe Power Adapters at almost 50 percent off, previous gen Mac minis for $70 off and, my personal favorite, the wretched official Apple iPod leather case for half price. If you’re in need of some gear, definitely check your local Apple Store to see if they’ve got something similar going.
I only got the one picture on my camera-phone – Apple employees were milling about, and I wasn’t in the mood to have my phone seized. Anyone else spotted a sale at an Apple Store?
“Apple Unveils Higher Quality DRM-Free Music on the iTunes Store: DRM-Free Songs from EMI Available on iTunes for $1.29 in May” Apple
“We are going to give iTunes customers a choice–the current versions of our songs for the same 99 cent price, or new DRM-free versions of the same songs with even higher audio quality and the security of interoperability for just 30 cents more,’ said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. ‘We think our customers are going to love this, and we expect to offer more than half of the songs on iTunes in DRM-free versions by the end of this year.”
The Wall Street Journal says Jobs is joining EMI to announce the company is completely abondoning DRM copy protection, just as Steve Jobs urged in an open letter in February.
Others concur, including:
Guardian’s Online Blog
Image courtesy of Seeking Alpha
Boingboing has an aeriel shot of the staircase at Apple’s new Fifth Avenue store. Link to a larger version of the picture.
Garry Allen of IFOApplestore has the first pictures of the fabulous glass entrance to Apple’s new store on Fifth Avenue. He snapped the picture after workers removed protective cladding in the wee hours of the morning.
Allen also reports that the obligatory line of visitors has already started forming. Stormy Shippy from Texas — who was first inside Apple’s London store when it opened in 2004 — arrived just after midnight on Thursday and is camping out to be the first inside when the store opens on Friday.
The store is below ground. Visitors enter the glass cube and descend via a cylindrical glass elevator that Allen describes as a “giant syringe.” There’s also one of Apple’s signature glass staircases, which curves down around the elevator.
Allen reports:
“… the cube has another interesting feature — it’s all open to the lower floor. That is, you can walk up to the outside glass of the cube, look through and see right down into the store itself. Anyone who sees the cube, notices the Apple logo, and who then comes over to the outside of the cube to investigate will see the store and activity below, and be drawn right into the door and down the stairs. It’s another innovative and guaranteed crowd attractor.”
