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Archive for May, 2011
Digital Downloads Drive A Music Industry Recovery
According to Nielsen Soundscan report, US music sales have increased by 1.6% over the course of this year. The report gives the credit for the rise, unsurprisingly, to digital music sales, which in terms of albums was up 16.8% and in terms of individual tracks was up 9.6%. As for physical media, CDs were down by 8.8%, but Vinyl increased by 37%, although they only account for 1.2% of sales. Nielsen interestingly suggests the arrival of the Beatles on iTunes as a key reason, pointing to a dramatic increase starting from when it was released on iTunes. As for the most popular genre’s, Rock had the greatest market share in album sales whilst Pop was the most popular for digital tracks.
iPad Cannibalization Of PC Market Slows
The iPad’s cannibalization of the PC market may have slowed. New purchasers of the iPad are less likely to have foregone purchasing a PC. It found that of those who had purchased the iPad over the holiday season, 12% would have decided against a PC purchase when they bought an iPad. This is a 2% drop from the 14% of those decided against a PC amongst those who had owned their iPad for 6 months or more. Netbooks were saved the most, with iPad cannibalization falling by 50%, which actually led the netbook market to grow by 21% between September 2010 and March 2011. The report contradicts what analysts were calling the “iPad effect” in the first quarter of 2011 when US PC sales fell 10.7%.
New iMacs Can Only Use Apple’s Hard Drives
The new 2011 iMacs — the ones with Thunderbolt, Sandy Bridge processors and better graphics — don’t allow you to use any other hard drive but Apple’s custom ones, which are running a custom firmware to provide temperature monitoring through a new 7-pin SATA connector.
For the main 3.5″ SATA hard drive bay in the new 2011 machines, Apple has altered the SATA power connector itself from a standard 4-pin power configuration to a 7-pin configuration. Hard drive temperature control is regulated by a combination of this cable and Apple proprietary firmware on the hard drive itself. From our testing, we’ve found that removing this drive from the system, or even from that bay itself, causes the machine’s hard drive fans to spin at maximum speed and replacing the drive with any non-Apple original drive will result in the iMac failing the Apple Hardware Test (AHT).
iOS 4.3.3 Users Reporting WiFi Issues on iPhones, iPads
It seems that many users are experiencing WiFi connectivity issues on devices running the latest iOS 4.3.3. These issues are nothing new to iOS but this time it appears they’re affecting iPhone and iPod touch models as well. A device fails to connect to a network or is unable to navigate; the WiFi icon doesn’t appear in the statusbar even if the device is actually connected; the device randomly disconnects from a network.
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Microsoft, HTC, Nokia File Complaints Over Apple’s “App Store” Trademark
Microsoft, HTC, Nokia and Sony Ericsson filed formal complaints against Apple’s attempt at getting the terms “App Store” and “Appstore” trademarked. In a statement, a Microsoft spokesperson said that Apple’s application was an “unsupportable claim of exclusivity” and noted that the terms “App Store” and “Appstore” are like “toy store” or “book store” – a generic term “that should continue to be available for everyone to use for stores that sell apps.”
The Incredible Vintage Gadgets That Inspired Apple’s Most Magical Products
Bill Buxton, Microsoft Research scientist, has been collecting gadgets that influenced today’s technology. A large number of them seem to have directly inspired many of Apple’s most iconic products and innovations. For example, the Dieter Rahms-design transistor radio, which inspired the first four generations of the venerable iPod, upon the success of which Apple built almost all of its modern fortunes.
Install Android on your iDevice
For those who like experimenting or just want to see what Android is like on iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, the team iDroid project managed to adopt Android operating system for Apple’s devices. According to the project leader, Nick Pack, a solution is not yet ready for prime time.
50% of iPad Magazine Subscribers Allow Apple to Pass Info to Publishers
Publishers had previously argued that the lack of subscriber information from iPad subscriptions was even a bigger hurdle than the 30% revenue share. Instead of automatically sharing the data, Apple asks individual subscribers to opt in. As it turns out, up to 50% of users agree.
University of Delaware Says “Apple Store” Coming On Campus
The University of Delaware has confirmed that, as part of new campus construction plans, an Apple Store will be located next to the new Bookstore, Starbucks, and other facilities. It’s not clear whether the “store” will be a full-feature retail location, a “mini store”, an authorized reseller, or something else specifically tailored to students. Indeed, several rumors in the past years suggested Apple was planning campus-specific Apple Stores, but the plans were never finalized.
Component Supply Chain To Face Shortages In Coming Months After Japan Crisis
DigiTimes predicts that there will likely be component shortages in the next two months as a result of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami from earlier this year. In fact, many key players from Asus, HTC, Motorola and Apple have been aggressively acting to secure various components such as PCBs and glass touch panels.
Labels Hoping Apple’s Music Service Will Launch at WWDC
Four major music labels in the US (Warner Music Group, EMI, Sony, Universal) are hoping Apple’s rumored cloud music service will launch next month during the WWDC. The labels are counting on Apple to provide a full-featured music service with iTunes Store integration that would force competitors like Amazon and Google to start paying licensing fees for their “music locker” services. Amazon and Google services users might be able to upload songs they illegally downloaded from the Internet.
Apple Pulls iAds From Kid-Focused Apps as Advertisers Target Efforts
MacStories posted a message from one App Store developer who recently saw the iAd fill rate for his Dex application for iOS drop to zero. He asked Apple and received the following answer:
We periodically review the apps in the iAd Network to ensure that all apps receiving ads are aligned with the needs of our advertisers. Currently, our advertisers prefer that their advertising not appear in applications that are targeted for users that are young children, since their products are not targeted at that audience.
Apple I Comes Back To Life In Italy
Apple I, a computer that back in the 1970′s was sold by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Jobs’ garage at $666.66, and was the first machine to come with 8K of RAM, was bought by Italian entrepreneur Marco Boglione, a long-time Apple user and fan who spent €150,000 to buy the #82 copy of the original Apple I. The item includes the original motherboard, manual and a letter from Steve Jobs, but no screen or keyboard.
Photo of Clipless Next-Gen iPod Nano with 1.3 MP Camera Surfaces
Taiwanese website Apple.pro posted a photo of what they claim to be a seventh generation iPod nano featuring a 1.3 megapixel rear camera. The photo again clearly shows the camera hole, although there is obviously no camera module included with the case. Interestingly, the new photo shows no clip attached to the rear of the case, with the Apple logo appearing directly on the case itself. Today’s photo seems to confirm previous speculation that, in order to make room for the camera, Apple would have to ditch the clip entirely, although it doesn’t make much sense considering Apple has been heavily touting the iPod nano as a sport accessory that can be worn on the outside of the user's clothing for quick access to device functions.
How People Actually Use iPads
Silicon Alley Insider has posted a chart showing the comparative results of reported iPad usage from November 2010 to the current month of May 2011. Since November, Apple has sold well over 10 million iPads, so it's interesting to see how behavior with the iPad is changing.