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The Age
Don't put your iPod through the washing machine. And if for some reason you do, don't try to fix it with a screwdriver.
That's the advice of fire investigators probing a small explosion that burned a hole in the bed of a Melbourne, Australia teenager who tried to perform emergency surgery on his ailing mp3 player.
PC World
I learned the painful way about the fragility of hard disk-based digital music players. While they're built to handle jiggling and some light blows, hard disks do not matriculate from the school of hard knocks.
After I mourned for an appropriate length of time, I grew giddy at the prospect of replacing my damaged iPod with a new iPod Shuffle. The Shuffle costs a fraction of what a regular iPod does, and it uses flash memory instead of a hard disk, which means it has no moving parts that break when I drop it.
Is a flash-based player a good substitute for a hard-drive player like the iPod? Here's what I found.
AFX News
Apple Computer Inc. has ridden high on a wave of success with its wildly popular iPod digital music player, but that ride might not last for the long haul, according to Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corp. 'I don't think the success of the iPod can continue in the long term, as good as Apple may be,' Gates was quoted as telling German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview.
(Prediction, or just wishful thinking...?)
iPodlounge
Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster said today that he does not think sales of the iPod will be affected by Yahoo’s new subscription-based music service offerings. “We do not anticipate the market share of the iPod will be meaningfully impacted by the emergence of Yahoo! and other music subscription services,” Munster said. “In addition, if subscription services become more successful, we believe that by year end Apple will introduce its own version of a subscription based music service.”
Macworld
Apple is beginning to see the benefit of the so-called 'iPod Halo' factor. The Washington Times reports that an increasing number of iPod-using Windows users are upgrading to a Mac when their existing machine fails or falls short of capacity.
The report explains: "For now, the halo effect exists primarily as a theory in the minds of executives and some analysts, but evidence is emerging that it is becoming a real phenomenon."
kottke.org
In the four years since its introduction, the iPod has proven to be a versatile little device. Despite a relatively closed architecture, hackers have found their way in. Content creators and software makers put information at your fingertips when you're on the go. Would-be designers have added to the fashionable stylings of the now-ubiquitous white ear buds. Hardware makers and enthusiasts have augmented the iPod with new add-on gadgets. Here are a few dozen things you can do with your iPod besides listen to music.
(Note: Actual number of fun things you can do with your iPod may not equal 50. No refunds.)
i4u
There is actually an Apple iPod vending machine at the Airport in Atlanta. Looks like the customers can get the iPod shuffle and the iPod mini from this machine. I guess it takes credit cards, or else that would be a lot of coins.
iPod411There have been many articles recently about people getting their iPods stolen on subways, including this one from the Chicago Tribune. While it's true that some people are having them stolen, things are being blown out of proportion to the point where it sounds like there's an iPod theft epidemic. The end of this latest article puts things in perspective:
"The number of reported stolen iPods is slight compared to other stolen items--and not even on record in Chicago--but the media's disproportionate interest in the story plays off fear more than anything else."
One thing that many of these articles are saying is that when you lose your iPod, you're not only losing your expensive MP3 player but also thousands of dollars of music, plus the time and effort you put into organizing your iPod. From the same Tribune article:
"iPods seem to possess more personal value than a watch or a wallet. Credit cards can be replaced, but what about the hours spent compiling perfect playlists that may never have been backed up?"
These journalists are forgetting -- or else they don't know how iPods work -- that all of a person's music and playlists are also on their home computer in iTunes. So in the terrible event that your iPod is stolen or lost, your music is still safe on your computer: Buy a new iPod, sync it with iTunes, and you're back in business ... and hopefully more careful this time around.
Scotsman.comMusic fans have been warned to turn down or switch off their iPods amid fears the craze for MP3 players is storing up catastrophic and irreversible hearing damage for a generation.
Audiologists believe tens of thousands of young people are causing serious damage to themselves, and are likely to suffer tinnitus and loss of hearing in later life. The experts say MP3 players should be designed to prevent people playing music above 90 decibels, about two-thirds of the maximum volume of a typical device.
Walter Mossberg, Wall Street Journal
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to offload the pictures from your digital camera while traveling, without lugging along a laptop? And, when the trip is over, wouldn't it be nice to be able to show people your digital photos, again without the aid of a laptop, or any other computer?
Apple's Camera Connector turns the iPod Photo into a portable repository for digital photos rather simply. While companies like Belkin had previously introduced gadgets that enabled the use of a regular iPod's hard drive for storing photos on the go, this adapter is much smaller and simpler. And because it works with iPod Photo, you can instantly view the images that you upload.
Podcasting NewsGriffin Technology is now shipping TuneJuice, a unique battery backup for iPod and iPod mini. Using a single 9-volt battery, TuneJuice lets you extend the play time of your iPod. If your iPod has some charge, TuneJuice will provide up to 8 hours of additional play; a completely drained iPod will get up to 4 hours.
NewsweekAs I write this, I am listening to one of my many mood-sensitive playlists from the iPod library on my computer. I'm not one of the hip, trendy twenty- (or even thirty-) somethings you see gyrating wildly in the TV ads; I am a busy 43-year-old stay-at-home mother of three active boys. I am not alone in my obsession. Everywhere you look you will find us, "soccer moms" ferrying our kids to sports practices and games and whiling away the long hours of waiting by eagerly comparing accessories and trading songs with other baby-boomer moms.
New York TimesSo President George W. Bush listens to an iPod, it was learned recently. How uncool is that?
You'd think any marketer would love a little product placement with the consumer in chief. But the iPod -- and Apple products generally -- have reached near-cult status partly because they cultivate an image as the electronic toys of the anti-establishment set.
If someone as mainstream as President Bush has caught on to something allegedly so hip, what can Apple do to keep iPod chic and cutting edge?
EngadgetJ&R has some "exclusively-colored" iPod minis up for sale. Yes, they’re really just ColorWare jobs, but apparently the hues are "exclusive" to J&R -- except that you can also get them on the ColorWare site, as well. Glossing over the abuse of the term "exclusive" for just a moment, we can see that it’s actually cheaper to order from J&R, so if you must rock your 4GB iPod mini in "Lamborghini Yello
Playlist MagApple has released iTunes 4.8... [Now] at the bottom of the iTunes window is a new Show Video Full Screen button. This button hints that iTunes 4.8 plays movies, and indeed it does. These videos are available from two sources -- videos on your hard drive and those sold as part of an album on iTunes. Videos on iTunes? No, not the music videos and movie trailers found at The Store. Rather, the iTunes Music Store now includes videos that are included with select albums sold by The Store.
The RegisterApple's iPod Shuffle took more than half of the US Flash-based music player market last month, retail market watcher NPD has said. NPD's stats put the Shuffle's share of the retail arena on 58 per cent, up from 43 per cent in February. Apple already commands the hard drive-based player market with a 90 per cent share. More than 70 per cent of all legal song downloads in the US are sold by Apple's iTunes Music Store.
Mike IndustriesHere's some iPod-related weirdness for a Monday morning: Check out a slideshow of iPod shuffles made out of food...
Detroit NewsAre you looking for a method of meditation, but don't have time for yoga? Pick up a crochet hook. The process of weaving yarn will clear your head of the daily slush. All you need is a needle, tiny scissors and a ball of yarn. Socks and covers for iPods sell for $20 and more at retail stores, but you can make one for less than $5.
The Tech ZoneThe Mini has been selling like hotcakes since it came out, with Apple having problem keeping them on store shelves. It seems Apple hit the nail on the head with the iPod Mini - sleek, sexy and full of style. One would not complain much if Apple leaves the Mini alone. However, Apple addressed most of the gripes I had with the first iPod Mini - it offers more storage space for the same price and vastly improved battery life.
Mac Guy (via MySA)Official word from Apple is that you cannot use your Mac-formatted iPod or iPod Mini with a Windows PC or vice versa. You would need to reset the iPod to its factory settings and then start using your iPod with your new Windows PC. Yes, this will erase the contents of your iPod. All is not lost, however...
Sound and VisionNearly every computer and electronics company makes portable digital audio players, but Apple does it best. [However,] iPods aren't perfect... You'll realize that half the fun of an iPod is personalizing it and finding even more ways to enjoy it. So with the utmost humility, and with a tip of the hat to David Letterman, here are the Top 10 ways to improve your iPod experience.
Maximum AardvarkI have never used the standard Shuffle Songs function on my iPod [because] theres too much on my iPod that I dont really want to hear.
To fix the problem, I created five smart playlists... [The] fifth playlist called @Radio (the @ keeps it at the lexicographical top of my playlists) is a smart playlist that is defined as the union of the other four. 90% of the time, when I use my iPod, its this playlist on shuffle. It is, essentially, my own personal radio station.
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Low prices on iPods, nanos, shuffles, and all the accessories you need!
Buy with confidence from Amazon.com |
