News for Thursday, 1 July 2004

If you are still not registered to the iTMS, I think with the new Apple iTMS campaign you should definitely register!
Indeed, with the 100 million songs limit getting closer and closer, Apple will offer to the user, who will download the 100 millionth song, a 17-inch PowerBook, a 40GB iPod, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs to create the ultimate music library for the iPod and the opportunity to create a Celebrity Playlist to be published on the iTunes Music Store.

Countdown to 100 million songs is always available on iTunes page, and even on the first page of Apple web site.

do not refresh this is a image ;-)

If you want to get training for this game, Apple is offering a 20GB iPod for all purchaser of each 100,000th song downloaded between 95 million and 100 million songs.
Good luck to everybody

The Canadian composers and music editors company tried to sue Internet providers for the prejudice related to illegal downloads.
After a long struggle, the supreme Court from Canada finally gave a ruling that benefits the providers. They won't have to give anything to compensate for what musicians and singers lost.
If the debate about the piracy issue wasn't that poisonous, would a judge have been requested for stating such a quite logical thing ?

Le Figaro published the interview of Robert Ashcroft, CEO Sony Connect Europe which shall open in Europe on July 5th.
We learn there that Sony Connect want to become the leader on the online music market. Their advantage if they had an agreement, not only with the 5 majors, but also with 150 independents. The songs will have variable prices starting from 0.99€ apiece, some being thus more expensive. Of course, he also makes some cutting remarks about the iTMS. Ashcroft doesn't understand how Apple might propose 700,000 songs, suggesting Apple artificially increased their catalogue.
By the way this article confirms the information we'd given according to which Apple would pay a sole 3% VAT thanks to some acrobatics with law issues.
For the full article (in French):
Le Figaro.

If Apple's new 30" display was unanimously acclaimed, as well for its size and price,it seems most of people didn't notice one thing. The Geforce 6800 Ultra is nothing short of silent card. And the small picture used on Apple's site shows that the cooling system hasn't been modified compared with the PC version:

For more concrete comparison elements, here's the picture of a card that was tested by the French site Hardware.fr

If the Apple version of the card is longer (as the Geforce Ti 4600 were at the time), the cooling is the same. Here's what the testers said about it:

We must admit that in the current state of things, this cooling device is (too?) noisy at full speed, even if it doesn't reach such a speed in 2D...

We must say it would be extremely disappointing to see a video card equipping a G5 + 30" configuration (around 10,000 Euros) spoil the experience of the machine. We're still convinced Apple found a solution, or they'll find one before the card is released.
PS: we managed to fin on Hardware.fr forums
the recorded sound of the 6800, at work and at rest, and the compared sound of a 9800XT. To d/l them, click HERE. It would seem the 6800 really IS noisy under intensive use.

After the price decrease of the modem-included Airport-Extreme base, and the removal of the version without modem, the Apple Store has also removed the first Airport card and their related adaptors/products.
You can probably still find some units in some resellers.

Our rumor from yesterday, is not a rumor anymore (are we getting old... :-)).
Sony is launching today a player, Network Walkman NW-HD1. Size 89x12.6x62.1mm , weight 110g. Is contains a 20Gb HD, and has an announced battery life of 30 hours. it is only ATRAC audio format compatible, and it has essentially been design to work with the SONY online Music Store, Connect.

It should be available in September for 400$.
Virgin should also attack Sony! This player is even more proprietary than the iPod. But since Sony online Music store, Connect, is not so much successful, it is probably not a good target for Virgin.

Thierry has found an interesting information in a Belgium magazine from Brussels.
Apple could have settle down an agreement with Perrier for the Launch of the iPod mini. Perrier would propose the famous mineral water in different colored bottle, the same ones than proposed for the iPod. On the backside of the bottle labels, there will be instructions and info for a chance to win an iPod mini.
We do not know if this campaign will be limited to Belgium, or extended to all Europe...we also do not know how the current strikes in Perrier bottling lines could affect this plan...

Here's what the mice from the wedding Microsoft-Starck should look like.

Now it's up to each and everyone to find out if it was all worth it...

If you think that your iBook's screen is too small, and that you do not know what to do with your old-model 23" Apple display that you bought on the refurb store with a 30% rebate while waiting for your spanking new G5 (could that sentence BE any longer ?), we have just tested DrBott's VGAtor.

This little device makes it possible to plug an ADC screen on a VGA port
http://www.macbidouille.com/article.php?id=165
Translated article soming soon.

One of our contacts living in China went to an Apple Center to purchase a 17" PowerBook. Happy as a clam, he was about to leave the store when one of the salesman runs after him to give him a surprise box as a present.
Once arrived at home, he opens up the box... which contained pirated versions of all the big software titles (Photoshop CS, Indesign, Illustrator, Xpress, iLife, Norton....). "Of Course", the serials were given as well.
Microsoft is now selling in Asia a stripped down edition of Windows XP for a few dozen bucks. Bill Gates is even there to promote the special version's merits... But there's a long road ahead to finally bring down piracy levels in that area of the world.

RAM prices are on a rollercoaster. After a few weeks going down, DDR 400 chips have seen an increase in price of about 7.4% in a week. Other memory prices are following the trend. This movement seems to be caused by manufacturers that prepare their stocks for the back to school season.
This also confirms that the market is tensed; supply and demand being almost equal, the smallest variation makes the market go upside down.