AllThingsD » iPod nano http://allthingsd.com Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:53:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://allthingsd.com/theme/images/logo-rss.jpg All Things Digital http://allthingsd.com/ 144 22 Apple Warns of Battery Overheating Risk with First Generation iPod Nanos http://allthingsd.com/20111112/apple-warns-of-battery-overheating-risk-with-first-generation-ipod-nanos/ http://allthingsd.com/20111112/apple-warns-of-battery-overheating-risk-with-first-generation-ipod-nanos/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:57:00 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=143464 Apple on Friday said that the battery in some first-generation iPod nanos could overheat and told users to stop using the devices and send them to the company for replacement.

It’s what you or I might call a recall, though Apple likes to call them “replacement programs” unless they are certain types of issues coordinated with the U.S. consumer product safety authorities.

The affected models are the kind with the white or black plastic front and silver back and were sold between September 2005 and December 2006. Apple said the issue is limited to that first generation iPod nano and doesn’t affect other models.

“This issue has been traced to a single battery supplier that produced batteries with a manufacturing defect,” Apple said in a post on its support Web site. “While the possibility of an incident is rare, the likelihood increases as the battery ages.”

The site provides instructions for checking the serial number and, if necessary, returning the units to Apple for a replacement, which is then waranteed for 90 days.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111112/apple-warns-of-battery-overheating-risk-with-first-generation-ipod-nanos/feed/ 0 Apple Updates iPods With Cheaper iPod Touch and Nano http://allthingsd.com/20111004/apple-updates-ipods-with-cheaper-ipod-touch-and-nano/ http://allthingsd.com/20111004/apple-updates-ipods-with-cheaper-ipod-touch-and-nano/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:57:34 +0000 Ina Fried http://allthingsd.com/?p=128228 Ahead of introducing its revamped iPhone 4S, Apple on Tuesday introduced a white version of its iPod touch and dropped the price on iPod nanos.

The company made only modest changes to the iPod line, but pledged its continued support for that business, which it says still accounts for more than three in four MP3 players sold.

“We’re going to continue making the world’s best music players,” Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said.

The iPod touch stays largely the same, but now comes in white as well as black — both models will pack iOS 5 when they go on sale Oct. 12. The entry-level 16 gigabyte model drops by $30 to $199; there will also be a 32GB version for $299 and a 64GB model for $399.

The iPod nano drops a bit in price to $129 and $149, and also gets new features, including the ability to track walks and runs without additional sensors or software. Apple also added 16 new clocks to the iPod for those who like to use their iPod nano as a watch — there are retro-styled LED models and Disney options, including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse designs.

Apple said it will continue to sell the 2GB iPod shuffle for $49. The company appeared to quietly ax the iPod classic.

The event is still going on, with talk having shifted to the new iPhone 4S. For live coverage, click here.

Update: Although Apple showed a picture sans iPod Classic on stage and called that “the fall lineup,” the company notes at the bottom of a press release that the lone hard drive-based model remains in its product line at the same price: $249 for the 160GB variety.

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]]> http://allthingsd.com/20111004/apple-updates-ipods-with-cheaper-ipod-touch-and-nano/feed/ 0 Flash Madness Part 3: Pure Storage Comes Out of Stealth http://allthingsd.com/20110823/flash-madness-part-iii-pure-storage-comes-out-of-stealth-lands-funding/ http://allthingsd.com/20110823/flash-madness-part-iii-pure-storage-comes-out-of-stealth-lands-funding/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:35:19 +0000 Arik Hesseldahl http://allthingsd.com/?p=112918 This has been the summer of flash memory. So far we’ve seen the initial public offering of Fusion-io, which uses flash chips to get data in servers closer to the processor and thus speed things up.

Next we saw Violin Memory — which makes flash-based storage arrays that are intended to make enterprise applications run faster — land $40 million in venture capital funding.

Now we see a third player entering the “flash madness” narrative. Pure Storage is coming out of stealth today, announcing its plans to sell flash-based storage arrays. It is also announcing that it has landed a $30 million C-round led by Redpoint Ventures, with Samsung Venture Investment joining. (Yes, that would be the venture capital arm of the South Korean electronics giant that happens to be the world’s biggest manufacturer of flash memory.) Greylock Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures also participated. The latest round brings Pure’s total funding raised to date to $55 million.

So what is Pure Storage all about? I met up with CEO Scott Dietzen last week and got the download.

The fundamental problem with enterprise storage is that hard drives just can’t keep up with everything else that’s gotten faster in the data center. Flash memory is fundamentally faster, it uses less energy and it takes up less space. We all know this.

The problem with flash is that it has always tended to be more expensive than hard drives. Today, you can buy a one terabyte hard drive for $100 or less. But just try getting that same amount in flash memory and see if the price isn’t, well, a lot higher.

The same principles apply in the data center. CIOs would love to convert to flash-based systems, as long as they’re reliable and affordable and work with the applications and other hardware they already have.

Pure Storage is essentially promising to deliver just that, Dietzen says. The company’s first product is an all-flash storage array that is 10 times faster and 10 times smaller than hard-disk-based systems. It’s called the Pure Storage FlashArray, and it is being aimed at mainstream enterprises in a manner that’s easy to deploy.

Pure’s founders are John Colgrove — one of the founding engineers at Veritas, now part of Symantec — and John Hayes, a founding engineer at Bix, which was ultimately swallowed up by Yahoo. Dietzen hails from Yahoo as well, by way of its acquisition of Zimbra, where he was CTO.

An early key hire was Michael Cornwell, who was lead technologist for flash at Sun Microsystems (now part of Oracle). Cornwell also worked at Apple, where he was Manager of Storage Engineering for the iPod division, and oversaw that product’s transition to — you guessed it — flash memory. Remember the first iPod nano? That was his baby.

Another key name: Greylock venture partner Frank Slootman, the former CEO of Data Domain, is on Pure’s board.

So what’s so special about a storage array built on flash memory? “Disks get slower every year,” Dietzen says. “Intel says processors have gotten 175 times faster over the last 15 years.” Disks just keep getting more data packed onto them, which doesn’t really make them any faster. The mechanical arm inside the disk that grabs data from the platter really can’t go much faster. “Disks today are comparably slower than tape was 15 years ago,” he says.

This creates a problem. Storage needs are going up, but hard drives are slowing data centers down, preventing them from reaching their full potential. It’s only because of cost — about $5 per gigabyte — that hard drives are still appealing. Enterprise-grade flash, on the other hand, tends to cost $40 to $100 per gigabyte, and because flash is historically less reliable, you have to buy double what you really need.

Pure’s play is to get over the cost hurdle. Dietzen says the company can get the cost down to $5 per gigabyte and less.

How does it do that? By reducing the amount of data you actually store. What happens in enterprise environments is that various bits of data get copied and recopied, over and over. Imagine a big filing cabinet with 50 copies of each document scattered around in different folders, when you really only need one. Suddenly the size of that file cabinet need not be so big. The same applies in data storage: Why bother having 10 copies of the same block of data, when one or two will do?

Using a technique known as deduplication, a system can eliminate all those unneeded copies and thus streamline the whole operation. Deduplication, combined with compression, was the primary principle behind Slootman’s Data Domain, which is now part of EMC.

But deduplication is expensive on hard drives, and really doesn’t make sense. Because the mechanical arm in a hard drive is always searching around for where its next needed block of data is to be found, if you employ deduplication, you end up with a bunch of reference signs telling the arm where to go, Dietzen says. The end result is that the disk has to spin more, not less. Flash memory chips don’t have that problem. “We make that process fast, because there’s no performance hit to the deduping process,” he says.

On top of that, Pure has created some algorithms that make the process a lot more granular than on hard-disk-based systems, by working with smaller disk-sector sizes. How small? He wouldn’t say exactly.

Unlike other storage companies — like, say, EMC — Pure’s array, Dietzen says, is built from the ground up for running flash. “The disk-centric companies are slotting flash into places where disks used to be, but they’re not changing the software to take advantage of the flash, to protect the flash from uneven wear and other things.”

A few early companies have tried the hardware, among them the law firm of Fenwick & West, whose CIO Matt Kesner is quoted in Pure’s press release as saying that the data used for various workloads was reduced from 50 to 90 percent.

One key thing that’s going on in the data center these days is virtualization — running several virtual computers within one single physical computer. When you run a lot of virtual machines, you have a lot of data that, like the paper in that big file cabinet, is essentially the same. Dietzen says that Pure’s flash array is able to eliminate a lot of that data. “Even if those virtual machines are a mix of Windows and Linux, there are a lot of commonalities between them,” he says. It’s not uncommon to see the data footprint for virtual machines reduced by a factor of 15 or 20 to one.

And that has caused some interesting reactions among early customers trying out the array. “Some people try it and are shocked when they put 15 terabytes on it and see there’s only one terabyte and think we’ve lost a lot of their data,” Dietzen says. “It’s a little scary at first, but then they run all their workloads and see all the data is there.”

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20110823/flash-madness-part-iii-pure-storage-comes-out-of-stealth-lands-funding/feed/ 0 Kickstarter Fesses Up: The Crowdsourced Funding Start-Up Has Funding, Too http://allthingsd.com/20110317/kickstarter-fesses-up-the-crowd-sourced-funding-startup-has-funding-too/ http://allthingsd.com/20110317/kickstarter-fesses-up-the-crowd-sourced-funding-startup-has-funding-too/#comments Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:47:02 +0000 Peter Kafka http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=30861 Kickstarter has all the requisite characteristics for a hot startup: an ah-ha! concept, a growing user base, and great buzz.

The one thing it doesn’t have are stories about investors clamoring to throw money its way. And the three-year-old company has never disclosed a funding round. Is it possible it has never taken in any money?

Nope. It’s not. I hear that Kickstarter, which helps artists and entrepreneurs raise money for their projects via crowd-sourced donation, has itself raised around $10 million in venture backing so far.

Its investors are high-profile, too: Union Square Ventures is the company’s best-known backer, but Kickstarter has also received money from the Betaworks incubator/seed investment fund, along with contributions from well-known entrepreneuer/angels like Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Vimeo co-founder Zach Klein and Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake.

Kickstarter’s public profile has been shooting up, up, up–most recently, as the company that helped fund watches made out of Apple’s iPod nanos — and its backers are a bit of an open secret in tech circles. But for whatever reason the company hasn’t wanted its investors chatting about it.

Union Square, for instance, doesn’t include the company in its public portfolio. [UPDATE: Now they do. "Recently the company has been getting a lot of attention and it has become clear to all of us that the quiet period is over," USV partner Fred Wilson writes in a blog post this morning. "So now we get to add the Kickstarter logo to our investments page and we can talk about the company publicly as much as we talk about it privately.]

That quiet period is over now, though, courtesy of a profile in the new issue of Wired magazine. The story is primarily about the company’s origins and ambitions, but casually mentions Union Square’s backing, and identifies Fake, Klein, Dorsey, Meetup founder Scott Heiferman and comedian David Cross (!) as other investors.

I asked CEO Perry Chen for more details about the company’s funding, but didn’t expect much. And via a pr agency, I ended up with a list of other angels, but nothing else. Here it is, for the record: Josh Stylman; Peter Hershberg; Joi Ito; Chris Sacca; Joshua Schacter; Matt Haughey; Josh & Jared Kushner; Chris Kaskie; “some other friends.”

The Wired issue with the Kickstarter profile is just landing in subscribers’ mailboxes now, and should be on newsstands and iPads next week. If you’re waiting for a free peek, though, you’ll have to be patient–the magazine usually waits a bit before it puts a new issue up on the Web. Meantime, here’s a look at the cover, via the magazine’s Twitter account:

[Kickstarter image credit: Scott Beale / Laughing Squid]

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20110317/kickstarter-fesses-up-the-crowd-sourced-funding-startup-has-funding-too/feed/ 1 Apple Music: The Good, The Bad and the So So http://allthingsd.com/20100907/apple-ipod-lineup-2010-and-ping-review/ http://allthingsd.com/20100907/apple-ipod-lineup-2010-and-ping-review/#comments Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:03:47 +0000 Katherine Boehret http://solution.allthingsd.com/?p=1381 Apple Inc. is attempting to boost its digital-music arsenal by bringing social networking to iTunes and by redesigning three iPods. The results are mixed.

The iPods are a big improvement from the older models with new, smart features, including some borrowed from the iPhone. The Ping social network, however, is a bit socially awkward, especially for people who are used to Facebook.


[ See post to watch video ]

I’ve been using Ping and the revamped iPod Touch, Shuffle, and Nano for the past week. The most notable iPod changes are the addition of a front-facing camera to the Touch, which enables FaceTime video chats with other new Touches or iPhone 4s, and the Nano’s redesigned, multi-touch screen.

I was less enthusiastic about Ping, Apple’s first attempt at social networking, because it didn’t do well enough with the socializing aspect. An Apple (AAPL) spokesman says it will be making improvements to Ping, including some that will be available by the end of this week. The social-networking experience also could become richer as more people and artists join. (Only 54 artists were on Ping when this column published.)

Ping is a social network that shows you what music your friends like and what your favorite artists are doing. You also can share your own music preferences. When you create a Ping profile, you can choose 10 songs that represent your musical tastes, or the network will generate this list based on music you purchased from the iTunes Store. Ping uses the Twitter model of followers rather than friends, which means you can be followed by someone and opt not to also follow that person, and vice versa. Ping runs in iTunes on Windows and Macs and can also be accessed on iPod Touches and iPhones running Apple’s new mobile operating system, iOS 4.1.

There are five page views for Ping: Recent Activity (the home page); My Profile; My Reviews (of songs and albums); People (which shows your followers, people you follow or follow requests) and Featured (Apple’s spotlight on people and music).

A stream of updates from people or artists you follow takes up much of the home page. While Facebook suggests friends you might know based on whether you have friends in common, a section in Ping suggests people you might want to follow according to if they have similar musical tastes—even if they’re strangers. This feature wasn’t yet turned on when I tested Ping, but will work within a week.

MOSSBERGjp

The iPod Shuffle, Nano, and Touch, and the Ping social network, show Apple’s laser focus on music.

Ping also suggests artists you might like. These suggestions aren’t based on your full iTunes library; rather, they’re based on songs you bought in iTunes and your activities in Ping, including artists you follow and music you “like,” similar to Facebook’s feature.

You can comment on or like anything posted on Ping by someone you follow. I enjoyed checking photos and videos posted on Ping by some of my favorite artists, including a video of U2′s Bono talking about a concert in Istanbul and a behind-the-scenes photo Shakira posted from her tour.

As a new social-network player, Apple needs to make Ping easier to use for people accustomed to the user-friendly features of Facebook. One of Ping’s biggest downsides is that it doesn’t import lists of friends from other established social networks, so you must build up a new network of people using email invitations that ask friends to join Ping.

According to an Apple spokesman, Facebook disallowed Ping from interacting with its network, which could have potentially allowed Ping users to see if their Facebook friends were on Apple’s social network. A spokeswoman for Facebook says the company is working with Apple to resolve this issue.

MOSSBERGjp2

The Ping social network.

You may also search the network for friends and music artists to follow by typing their names into a search box.

Ping’s other socially awkward characteristics include its inability to notify you when other people comment on or like something you’ve posted or commented on.

Apple says these will appear in the Recent Activity page within a week—but not as easy-to-see notifications at the top of the page.

Ping can’t organize people you follow into groups, like “Dierks Bentley Concert Pals,” and won’t let you send anyone in Ping a message—either privately nor by posting on their wall.

The network also only uses first names of people, leaving me wondering if the John who bought “Walk Like An Egyptian” was my ex-boyfriend or a co-worker—especially since the latter uses an abstract image for his profile photo rather than a photo of himself.

The Apple spokesman said this first-name system was implemented to make Ping more personal.

As for the redesigned iPods, the Touch is remarkably thin, measuring just 0.28 inch deep. It costs $229 for an 8-gigabyte model; $299 for a 32-gigabyte; and $399 for the 64-gigabyte. This Touch now has the same sharp Retina Display screen as the iPhone 4, as well as two built-in cameras. FaceTime calls using the front-facing camera must be placed over Wi-Fi, using a dedicated FaceTime email address, since the Touch doesn’t have a phone number associated with it.

I brought my iPod Touch with me to the U.S. Open tennis tournament last weekend and used it to capture beautiful HD video footage of matches. I was impressed by the high quality audio captured in each video, enabled by a new omnidirectional microphone on the back of the iPod Touch that also captures sounds in front of the device. I accessed Ping from my iPod Touch, accepting Follow Requests and reading new posts from people and artists I follow.

The iPod Nano, which costs $149 for an 8-gigabyte model and $179 for a 16-gigabyte model, offers the most surprising redesign of the three new devices. This fifth-generation Nano is nearly half the size and weight of its predecessor. To achieve this, its hard buttons were exchanged for a smaller, square build and a multi-touch screen, which displays four icons at a time—like Artists, Genius Mixes, FM Radio and Photos.

To see other screens with more icons, swipe a finger from right to left, like on the iPhone. These icons can be rearranged, just as on the iPhone, by tapping and holding an icon until it jiggles, then moving the icon to wherever you want it.

I touched the Nano’s screen with two fingers and turned them, rotating the screen in all four directions, which comes in handy if you use the player’s built-in clip to attach it a sleeve or belt and want to look at its screen from an odd angle.

When a song plays, its album cover fills the Nano screen and looks a little like a colorful postage stamp clipped to you.

I especially liked flicking through photos on the Nano, double tapping to zoom in on images and moving the images around with one finger. The iPod Nano comes in seven colors and its battery lasts for 24 hours of music playback.

Apple’s $49 iPod Shuffle, which comes in five colors, holds 2 gigabytes and costs $10 less than its predecessor. It has hard buttons and a square shape again (the last model nixed both in favor of a smaller design). This Shuffle still offers VoiceOver announcements of song information and still has its signature clip, making it popular for running or working out.

Edited by Walter S. Mossberg. Write to Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100907/apple-ipod-lineup-2010-and-ping-review/feed/ 0 New iPods: Touch Gets FaceTime, Nano Gets Multitouch, Shuffle Gets Click Wheel http://allthingsd.com/20100901/new-ipods-touch-gets-facetime-nano-gets-multitouch-shuffle-gets-clickwheel/ http://allthingsd.com/20100901/new-ipods-touch-gets-facetime-nano-gets-multitouch-shuffle-gets-clickwheel/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:05:27 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=47667 Apple iPod nanoApple’s (AAPL) refreshed lineup of iPods, introduced by Steve Jobs today, looks pretty much as anticipated.

The iPod touch–the No. 1 portable gaming machine in the world, Jobs said–is getting the Retina Display and A4 chip of the iPhone 4, along with HD video recording and a front-facing camera with support for FaceTime video chatting. And there’s a new ad tagline for the touch: “All kinds of fun.” The 8GB is available for $229, the 32GB for $299 and the 64GB for $399. Preorders begin today.

The new iPod nano is 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter than its predecessors, thanks to the elimination of all those bulky controls and the addition of a little multitouch screen. A colorful selection will go for $149 for 8GB, $179 for 16GB.

As to the iPod shuffle, Jobs said customers missed the controls on the current buttonless model, so the new version is getting a click wheel. Price is $49 for the 2GB gadget.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100901/new-ipods-touch-gets-facetime-nano-gets-multitouch-shuffle-gets-clickwheel/feed/ 0 Apple Unveils New iPods, iTunes Social Network, Video Rentals http://allthingsd.com/20100901/apple-music-event-2010/ http://allthingsd.com/20100901/apple-music-event-2010/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:28:52 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=47607

Steve Jobs held court this morning at Apple’s traditional September music event, unveiling goodies like a refreshed lineup of iPods; Ping, a new social network built into iTunes 10; and an updated Apple TV, with support for TV and movie rentals. Also announced was iOS 4.1, with a multiplayer Game Center, High Dynamic Range photos and HD video uploads over Wi-Fi.

The complete liveblog coverage:

9:34 am: John, Kara and Adam are here waiting for the doors to open at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts for the start of the event.

9:54 am: Packed house today as these events often are. Seated in the theater, we’re treated to another variation on the Jobsian playlist: The Beatles, Clapton, etc.

9:58 am: A first “take your seats” warning. There’s a piano stage right, presumably for today’s musical guest. Long shot speculation in the audience that it may be Lady Gaga who was reportedly spotted on the Apple campus about 2 weeks ago.

10:00 am: Jobs takes the stage at 10 AM sharp to enthusiastic applause.

10:00 am: Job recognizes his “partner in crime” who’s in the audience today: Steve Wozniak.

10:01 am: And with that, we’re off. First a quick retail update. Jobs discusses Apple’s new stores in Paris and China, notes that the latter with its massive glass cylinder is a monument to glass engineering.

10:03 am: On to London. Another slick store in Covent Garden, Apple’s 300th. Jobs notes that Apple now has stores in 10 countries and will soon add an 11th — Spain. “We’re seeing 1 million visitors to our stores on some days, several days a month.”

10:04 am: “Our stores are bringing a lot of new users into the Mac family,” says Jobs, noting that about half of Mac purchases are made by first-time Mac buyers.

10:05 am: Moving on now to iOS devices. Apple’s shipped 120 million iOS devices since the first iPhone launched, says Jobs, adding that Apple is activating 230,000 iOS devices a day. “People throw out a lot of numbers about how many devices they’re activating per day,” he says. “We are doing 230,000 activations a day. …We think some of our friends are counting upgrades in their numbers … and we think we are ahead of everyone — if we were counting upgrades, our number would be WAY higher.”

10:06 am: “200 apps are downloaded from the App Store every second … we’ve got over 250,000 apps in the store and over 25,000 of them are iPad apps,” says Jobs. “Today we’re introducing iOS 4.1.”

Among 4.1′s features and updates: bug fixes to proximity, Bluetooth, etc. TV show rentals, High Dynamic Range Photos …

10:08 am: What’s an HDR photo? Job explains that it’s a camera that takes 3 photos in quick succession — one that’s normal, one that’s underexposed and one that overexposed and then melds them together into a better photo.

Some examples appear behind Jobs on screen and they do indeed seem much improved over the typical iPhone photo.

10:09 am: On to Game Center. “Game Center is all about multiplayer games,” says Jobs. It’s about playing games with your friends and if you don’t have any friends, it will find some for you to play with.”

10:11 am: Job’s invites Mike Capps, president of Epic Games to demonstrate a new Game Center game. The game’s called “Project Sword.” Like Street Fighter but with armor and swords. Very impressive in its detail. Game play includes demonstration of “boot-to-the-face” which goes over well with the audience.

10:14 am: Demoer is getting is ass kicked by his assistant. “This is what I get for bringing a designer with me to demo a game” Project Sword will be available for purchase in time for the holidays.

10:15 am: iOS 4.1 will be available for iPhone and iPod touch next week.

10:15 am: Now a sneak peak at iOS 4.2 for iPad. “This is all about bringing everything in iOS 4.1 to iPad,” says Jobs. “We’re also adding support for wireless printing.”

Printing is managed via a Print Center app.

10:16 am: Also coming in 4.2 Airplay — a new version of Airtunes that allows streaming of not just music to mobile devices, but pictures and videos as well.

10:17 am: Jobs demonstrates multi-tasking on the iPad. Plays some Jack Johnson tunes, checks e-mail, browses the Web. All pretty seamless.

10:18 am: Demonstrating Folders now. Works exactly as it does on iPhone. “We love these features and when can’t wait to get them on the iPad,” says Jobs. “So when is 4.2 coming out? November. And it will be free for all iOS devices.”

10:19 am: “And now I’d like to get on to today’s entree: the iPod,” says Jobs. “How many iPods have we sold? 275 million. … One of the secrets to the iPods success is that even though the iPod has a very high market share, we never rest on our laurels, we try to improve them for our users. And this time, we’ve gone all out. … It’s the biggest change in the iPod line ever.

10:21 am: Onscreen the evolution of the iPod shuffle from candybar to its latest buttonless iteration. People missed the buttons, says Jobs. So we’ve added them back. New shuffle looks alot like the second generation shuffle, but with a clickwheel. 15 hours of battery life. Comes in 5 different colors. 2GB for $49.

10:23 am: “Now let’s look at the iPod nano,” says Jobs. Again an overview of evolution of the device’s design.

“We wanted to make it smaller, and there’s only one way to make it smaller and that’s to remove the controls. And there’s only one way to control a device like that — touch. The iPod nano is now multitocuh based.

10:25 am: The new nano is 46 percent smaller and 42 percent lighter than its predecessors. 29 hour battery life. Supports Voice memos, Genius mixes, built-in FM radio. Clock.

10:26 am: A quick demo of music discovery. Jobs scrolls through the device’s library, pulls up an Ella Fitzgerald song. Navigation seems relatively easy despite the small screen size. Scrolling, swiping all work well. Screen also supports rotation via touch.

The new Nano comes in the same colors as the shuffle, plus two more — graphite and red. $149 for 8 GB, $179 for 16 GB.

10:30 am: Moving on to the iPod touch now, which Jobs refers to as the “iPhone without the phone.”

“The touch has become the most popular iPod,” says Jobs. “… Even more importantly, it’s become the #1 portable game player in the world. The touch outsells Sony and Nintendo’s portable offerings combined.”

1.5 billion games and entertainment downloads to the iPod touch alone.

10:32 am: Here’s the new iPod touch. Same form factor, but significantly thinner. It’s also been updated with Apple’s Retina Display and Apple’s A4 chip — the same one that powers the iPhone.Also on board a front-facing camera and FaceTime support for video chat. HD video recording. 40 hours of music playback.

10:33 am: The 8GB is available for $229, the 32 GB for 299 and the 64GB for $399. Pre-orders begin today.

10:36 am: And here’s the new ad campaign — iPod touch “All kinds of fun.”

“This is the strongest line-up of new iPods we’ve ever had, “says Jobs. “But as you know iPods are part of a great duet with iTunes … People have downloaded 11.7 billion songs from iTunes, 450 million TV episodes, 100 million movies, 35 million books. 160 million accounts world-wide.”

10:38 am: Jobs continues: Today we’re excited to introduce iTunes 10 … And we’re giving it a new logo. Since digital sales are outpacing those of analog music, we figured it’s about time we ditch the CD graphic.”

10:39 am: Focus of iTunes 10 is about discovery — “what are my friends listening to? what concerts are they going to?”

There’s really not a good way to do that, says Jobs. So we’re introducing Ping — a social network for music that’s built right into iTunes.

Bad news for MySpace …

10:41 am: You can sign-up to follow people on Ping just as you would on Twitter and it generates a custom top 10 chart of the music they’re listening to.

Interesting. Jobs has now mentioned Lady Gaga 5 or six times as he lists of examples of music and concert discovery. Maybe she’s not such a long-shot musical guest after all.

10:43 am: “Ping is for social music discovery and you can follow people and be followed,” says Jobs. There are privacy restrictions though — a “Circle of Friends” feature that limits sharing to a specific group of users.

“You can get as private or as public as you want and it’s simple to do it.”

10:44 am: Jobs begins his Ping demo. he scrolls through some tour photos that Jack Johnson’s been uploading. He posts a comment, scrolls lower and notices that a friend has posted something about a new song he likes. “I can purchase the song simply by clicking on it … and I can click through to see the entire album.”

Another mention of Lady Gaga, who — you guessed it — has a page on Ping and has evidently been uploading concert videos to it

10:48 am: A few more Ping pages — Yo-Yo Ma, Apple PR queen Katie Cotton, and Jobs himself.

“Now, Ping is not just available on your computer,” says Jobs. “It’s available on your iPhone and your iPod touch. … Ping: it’s a social network for music that’s built into iTunes and it’s available today.”

10:50 am: And here it is. One more thing …

10:50 am: “Actually, it’s one more “hobby”,” quips Jobs. The product: Apple TV, of course.

Jobs notes that since it’s introduction, the Apple TV hasn’t done as well as Apple had hoped. “We’ve sold a lot, but it’s never been a huge hit.” Neither has any competitive product, he adds.

“It turns out people don’t want a computer on their TV,” says Jobs. “They already have computers. They go to their TVs for entertainment — not for another computer. This is a hard one for people in the computer industry to understand, but it’s really easy for consumers to understand. They get it.”

“What do people really want,” asks Jobs. ” They want Hollywood moves and TV shows — not amateur hour. They want everyhting in HD. They want lower prices, they don’t want another computer and they don’t want to think about managing storage. They don’t don’t want to sync to their computers, they just want to watch TV … and they want this device to be silent, cool and small. … So we made something new for them.”

10:53 am: “We’ve created a new version of Apple TV. … It’s about a fourth of the size of the original.”

New Apple TV has HDMI, ethernet and a power cable — only.

10:54 am: Interesting. “We’ve gone to the rental model on this … there are no purchases on Apple TV. We’ve gone to a rental-only model and because of this, there’s no need for storage. You simply stream everything from your computer, there’s no syncing.”

10:55 am: Content?

First run HD movies for $4.99, day-and-date of DVD release.

HD TV show rentals: 99 cents and still commercial free.

10:56 am: “Now this is a big step that not all the studios wanted to take, so we’ve got Fox and ABC taking it with us now and we expect the other studios to follow,” says Jobs. “… And if you’re a Netflix subscriber, you can stream Netflix movies to Apple TV.”

10:57 am: Quick overview of the UI. Elegant. Interface now includes tomato ratings from Rotten Tomatoes. Easy previews. Viewing generally begins in a matter of seconds, says Jobs.

10:59 am: Also supported by Apple TV: Flickr, YouTube, Mobile Me.

“All these things and it all comes out of this little box,” says Jobs. “It’s amazing.”

11:00 am: The demo continues. Jobs browses Iron Man, looks over some customer reviews, Robert Downey Junior’s CV and then rents the movie. After a second or two the movie begins. Jobs scrubs ahead to a battle scene. Video quality is impressive.

11:02 am: Jobs edits his Favorite list. He notes that there’s a new episode of Glee, clicks to purchase and plays it. Moving on now to Internet content. First up Netflix. Jobs checks out his Instant Queue. Among the movies listed there: The Matrix and Lethal Weapon 4 (Lethal Weapon 4?!?)

11:04 am: Now a demonstration of the device’s slideshow feature. Standard stuff and about what you’d expect.

11:05 am: Jobs circles back to Airplay and explains that you can use it to stream movies from other devices to Apple TV.

11:06 am: He begins playing Pixar’s Up on and iPad, pushes a button and streams it to the Apple TV.

“Your going to be watching a movie on your iPad, come home, press a button and continue watching it on Apple TV.”

11:07 am: Looks like Apple TV is getting a new price as well. Wow. Apple’s dropped the price from $299 to $99. Pre-orders begin today. The device should ship in about 4 weeks.

11:08 am: Now a recap of today’s announcements: the new shuffle, a new nano, a new iPod touch with FaceTime — “The strongest line-up of iPods we’ve ever had, a new iTunes, with Ping a social network for music and finally a new Apple TV.”

11:10 am: “We started doing this music stuff for a really simple reason: we love music. And even though we;re a little more successful now than when we started that love hasn’t changed one bit….

Looks like today’s musical guest is not Lady Gaga, but ColdPlay’s Chris Martin.

11:12 am: Chris Martin takes the stage … “This probably the toughest closing gig I’ve ever had. I don’t have any new products to announce … anyway, I’ll just play one song and then another and another until you feel like lunch.”

11:21 am: After a few songs, Martin pauses: “I’m not sure what to do … is Steve around to tell me what to do next …We’re moving on now to Coldplay 2.6 … this one has a lot a features, multiple chords that our competitors aren’t yet aware of …. it’s in the chord of ‘i minor’”

11:23 am: My colleague Peter Kafka weighs in on Ping: “Well, there’s Facebook’s music service. It’s run by Steve Jobs.”

11:24 am: A few more media tidbits from Peter via Twitter

– Fox statement sets limit on $0.99 iTunes rental trial “working with them over the next several months to explore this innovative offering.””

– Disney statement on 99 rentals much less reserved than Fox. No timeline or “experiment” mentioned

11:25 am: Looks like that’s it from Martin. He leaves the stage to a standing ovation and Jobs returns.

“Thank you for coming. I hope you’re as excited about this stuff as we are … and we’ll see you soon.”

And that’s it. The event ends.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100901/apple-music-event-2010/feed/ 0 Wheels Coming Off iPod Nanos? http://allthingsd.com/20100826/wheels-coming-off-ipod-nanos/ http://allthingsd.com/20100826/wheels-coming-off-ipod-nanos/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:12:57 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=47384 More grist for the rumor mill frantically churning in advance of Apple’s Sept. 1 special event. Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu issued a note this morning speculating that Apple (AAPL) plans to uncrate a “significant redesign” of the iPod nano, one that does away entirely with the click wheel that’s been a feature of the device since its debut.

“We frankly are not sure if this model will see the light of day,” said Wu. “But this would be a big departure from the design it has had since 2005 when it replaced the iPod mini. From our take, a radical refresh may make sense to jumpstart what was once its top-selling iPod.”

If Apple were to remove the click wheel from the nano, what would it replace it with? Perhaps those mini-touchscreens we heard about in July….

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100826/wheels-coming-off-ipod-nanos/feed/ 0 You're Charging It Wrong http://allthingsd.com/20100811/youre-charging-it-wrong/ http://allthingsd.com/20100811/youre-charging-it-wrong/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:17:37 +0000 Beth Callaghan http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=28202 After 27 overheating incidents, six fires and four customers with minor burns, Apple Japan has offered replacements for first-generation iPod nano mp3 players that overheat while charging. The Japanese government has been highly critical of the company for its delay in confirming and reporting these and 34 other “non-serious” cases of overheating. Apple reports that the defect can be traced to a specific battery supplier.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20100811/youre-charging-it-wrong/feed/ 0 A Windows to Help You Forget http://allthingsd.com/20091007/a-windows-to-help-you-forget/ http://allthingsd.com/20091007/a-windows-to-help-you-forget/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:02:03 +0000 Walter S. Mossberg http://ptech.allthingsd.com/20091007/a-windows-to-help-you-forget/ In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft’s long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company’s reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users. PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade.


[ See post to watch video ]

With Windows 7, PC users will at last have a strong, modern successor to the sturdy and familiar, but aged, Windows XP, which is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having come out in 2001. In the high-tech world, an eight-year-old operating system is the equivalent of a 20-year-old car. While XP works well for many people, it is relatively weak in areas such as security, networking and other features more important today than when XP was designed around 1999.

After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft (MSFT) has produced. It’s a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers.

Like the new Snow Leopard operating system released in August by Microsoft’s archrival, Apple (AAPL), Windows 7 is much more of an evolutionary than a revolutionary product. Its main goal was to fix the flaws in Vista and to finally give Microsoft customers a reason to move up from XP. But Windows 7 is packed with features and tweaks that make using your computer an easier and more satisfying experience.

PTECH

The new taskbar shows small previews of many windows and allows for larger previews.

Windows 7 introduces real advances in organizing your programs and files, arranging your taskbar and desktop, and quickly viewing and launching the page or document you want, when you want it. It also has cool built-in touch-screen features.

It removes a lot of clutter. And it mostly banishes Vista’s main flaws—sluggishness; incompatibility with third-party software and hardware; heavy hardware requirements; and constant, annoying security warnings.

I tested Windows 7 on 11 different computers, ranging from tiny netbooks to standard laptops to a couple of big desktops. These included machines from Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Dell (DELL), Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Sony (SNE). I even successfully ran it on an Apple Macintosh laptop. On some of these machines, Windows 7 was pre-loaded. On others, I had to upgrade from an earlier version of Windows.

In most cases, the installation took 45 minutes or less, and the new operating system worked snappily and well. But, I did encounter some drawbacks and problems. On a couple of these machines, glacial start-up and reboot times reminded me of Vista. And, on a couple of others, after upgrading, key features like the display or touchpad didn’t work properly. Also, Windows 7 still requires add-on security software that has to be frequently updated. It’s tedious and painful to upgrade an existing computer from XP to 7, and the variety of editions in which Windows 7 is offered is confusing.

Finally, Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. These can be downloaded free of charge, but they no longer come with the operating system, though some PC makers may choose to pre-load them.

In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple’s Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That’s no longer true. I still give the Mac OS a slight edge because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows.

Now, however, it’s much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7 beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows on the desktop and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the gift of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows.

Here are some of the key features of Windows 7.

New Taskbar: In Windows 7, the familiar taskbar has been reinvented and made taller. Instead of mainly being a place where icons of open windows temporarily appear, it now is a place where you can permanently “pin” the icons of frequently used programs anywhere along its length, and in any arrangement you choose. This is a concept borrowed from Apple’s similar feature, the Dock. But Windows 7 takes the concept further.

For each running program, hovering over its taskbar icon pops up a small preview screen showing a mini-view of that program. This preview idea was in Vista. But, in Windows 7, it has been expanded in several ways. Now, every open window in that program is included separately in the preview. If you mouse over a window in the preview screen, it appears at full size on your desktop and all other windows on the desktop become transparent—part of a feature called Aero Peek. Click on the window and it comes up, ready for use. You can even close windows from these previews, or play media in them.

I found this feature more natural and versatile than a similar feature in Snow Leopard called Dock Expose.

You can also use Aero Peek at any time to see your empty desktop, with open windows reduced to virtual panes of glass. To do this, you just hover over a small rectangle at the right edge of the taskbar.

Taskbar icons also provide Jump Lists—pop-up menus listing frequent actions or recent files used.

Desktop organization: A feature called Snap allows you to expand windows to full-screen size by just dragging them to the top of the screen, or to half-screen size by dragging them to the left or right edges of the screen. Another called Shake allows you to make all other windows but the one you’re working on disappear by simply grabbing its title bar with the mouse and shaking it several times.

File organization: In Windows Explorer, the left-hand column now includes a feature called Libraries. Each library—Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos—consolidates all files of those types regardless of which folder, or even which hard disk, they live in.

Networking: Windows 7 still isn’t quite as natural at networking as I find the Mac to be, but it’s better than Vista. For instance, now you can see all available wireless networks by just clicking on an icon in the taskbar. A new feature called HomeGroups is supposed to let you share files more easily among Windows 7 PCs on your home network. In my tests, it worked, but not consistently, and it required typing in long, arcane passwords.

Touch: Some of the same kinds of multitouch gestures made popular on the iPhone are now built into Windows 7. But these features won’t likely become popular for a while because to get the most out of them, a computer needs a special type of touch screen that goes beyond most of the ones existing now. I tested this on one such laptop, a Lenovo, and was able to move windows around, to resize and flip through photos, and more.

Speed: In my tests, on every machine, Windows 7 ran swiftly and with far fewer of the delays typical in running Vista. All the laptops I tested resumed from sleep quickly and properly, unlike in Vista. Start-up and restart times were also improved. I chose six Windows 7 laptops from different makers to compare with a new MacBook Pro laptop. The Mac still started and restarted faster than most of the Windows 7 PCs. But the speed gap has narrowed considerably, and one of the Lenovos beat the Mac in restart time.

Nagging: In the name of security, Vista put up nagging warnings about a wide variety of tasks, driving people crazy. In Windows 7, you can now set this system so it nags you only when things are happening that you consider really worth the nag. Also, Microsoft has consolidated most of the alerts from the lower-right system tray into one icon, and they seemed less frequent.

Compatibility: I tried a wide variety of third-party software and all worked fine on every Windows 7 machine. These included Mozilla Firefox; Adobe (ADBE) Reader; Google’s (GOOG) Picasa and Chrome; and Apple’s iTunes and Safari.

I also tested several hardware devices, and, unlike Vista, Windows 7 handled all but one smoothly. These included a networked H-P printer, a Canon (CAJ) camera, an iPod nano, and at least five external flash drives and hard disks. The one failure was a Verizon (VZ) USB cellular modem. Microsoft says you don’t need external software to run these, but I found it was necessary, and even then had to use a trick I found on the Web to get it to work.

System Requirements: Nearly all Vista PCs, and newer or beefier XP machines, should be able to run Windows 7 fine. Even the netbooks I tested ran it speedily, especially with the Starter Edition, which lacks some of the powerful graphics effects in the operating system. (Other netbooks will be able to run other editions.)

If you have a standard PC, called a 32-bit PC, you’ll need at least one gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of free hard-disk space and a graphics system that can support Microsoft technologies called “DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0.” You’ll also need a processor with a speed of at least one gigahertz. If you have a newer-style 64-bit PC, which can use more memory, you’ll need at least two gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of free hard disk space. In either case, you should double the minimum memory specification.

PTECHjp

Aero Peek lets you see your desktop by making your windows transparent.

Installation, editions and price: There are four editions of Windows 7 of interest to consumers. One, a limited version called Starter, comes pre-loaded on netbooks. A second, called Professional, is mainly for people who need to tap remotely into company networks (check with your company to see if you need this). A third, called Ultimate, is mainly for techies who want every feature of all other editions. Most average consumers will want Home Premium, which costs $120 for upgrades.

The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista owners can upgrade to the exactly comparable edition of Windows 7 while keeping all files, settings and programs in place.

Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won’t be able to do that. They’ll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files. Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years.

Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs. This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they’ve got or wait and buy a new one.

In my tests, both types of installations went OK, though the latter could take a long time.

Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy.

Correction: The edition of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system aimed at business users is called Windows 7 Professional. This week’s Personal Technology column erroneously stated it was named Business.

Write to Walter S. Mossberg at walt.mossberg@wsj.com

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20091007/a-windows-to-help-you-forget/feed/ 0 Microsoft Zune Team Launches Latest Exercise in Futility http://allthingsd.com/20090915/microsoft-zune-team-launches-latest-exercise-in-futility/ http://allthingsd.com/20090915/microsoft-zune-team-launches-latest-exercise-in-futility/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:04:40 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=24794 black-zune-hd-rm-engMicrosoft brought it’s not-so-anxiously-awaited Zune HD to market today. With its touchscreen, Wi-Fi capability and high-definition video output, the device is intended as an answer to the iPod touch, though it lacks the application marketplace that helped make Apple’s device so popular.

And it’s not going to be getting one anytime soon, either, despite rumors that Microsoft is working on one and courting developers to port their iPhone apps over to it. Which is not to say that the company isn’t building an answer to Apple’s App Store–it is. Redmond is just building it for Windows Mobile, not Zune.

“We’re trying to get out of the business of building similar things in the company that don’t work together, and the Windows Mobile team is tackling the challenge of a mobile apps marketplace right now,” Zune marketing manager Brian Seitz told TechFlash. “We don’t necessarily line up perfectly with that, to take advantage of whatever ends up coming out of that from the Zune HD standpoint, but down the line if there’s a way that we can plug into what they’re doing, I’m sure we’ll look into whether that makes sense for the business.”

644212001_wTsHX-X1But by then, of course, it will be too late. Arguably, it’s too late already. As Apple gleefully noted during its annual music event last week, NPD pegs the company’s share of the portable media device market at nearly 74 percent. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s tops out at an estimated 1.1 percent.

Raising that share was already a Sisyphean task for Microsoft (MSFT), and it has only become more difficult now that Apple (AAPL) has introduced not just a new iPod nano with a built-in video camera and FM radio, but also a more inexpensive iPod touch.

Microsoft is pricing the 16GB Zune HD at $219.99 and the 32GB version at $289.99. But you can get a 32GB iPod touch for $299. And you can get an 8GB touch for $199. Now, granted, the touch offers only half the storage of the 16GB Zune HD, but it supports the iTunes App Store. And if you really want that extra 8GB, you can always buy an iPod nano, which shoots video and at $179.00, is $30 cheaper than the Zune HD.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090915/microsoft-zune-team-launches-latest-exercise-in-futility/feed/ 5 The "Good Enough" Test: Flip vs. Apple iPod Nano http://allthingsd.com/20090914/the-good-enough-test-flip-vs-apple-ipod-nano/ http://allthingsd.com/20090914/the-good-enough-test-flip-vs-apple-ipod-nano/#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:00:31 +0000 Peter Kafka http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=10891 When Apple added a video camera to the iPhone last summer, the digerati declared that Flip, Cisco’s cheap digital video camera line, was dead. When Apple added a video camera to its cheap and tiny iPod nano last week, the digerati heaped dirt on the camcorder’s grave.

You know what? I think the conventional wisdom is right on this one. Take a look at this clever test from NewTeeVee, which compares the nano’s new camera with a Flip Ultra SD.

The good folks at NewTeeVee declare that the Flip’s camera offers a “MUCH better picture,” and since they did the work here I won’t argue with them.

But I don’t think the gap between the two cameras is big enough to help Flip. If you’re really serious about video quality, you’re probably not carrying a Flip to begin with. And given the choice between a video camera that takes a decent picture and one that also lets you listen to music, watch movies and play games…well, that’s a tough sell, even if you’ve got Cisco’s (CSCO) marketing dollars backing you up.

In other words, Apple (AAPL) has passed my “good enough” test. The nano doesn’t do the job as well as a single-use device, but it’s adequate for my needs. The only question for me is whether I spring for a nano now, or hold off in the hopes that the iPod touch line gets a camera sooner than later.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090914/the-good-enough-test-flip-vs-apple-ipod-nano/feed/ 0 Live from Apple's "Let's Rock" Event: iPod Updates, Games, Nano Video Cameras http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-ipods/ http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-ipods/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:33:38 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=24252 nano

Apple has sold some 225 million iPods to date, making it one of the most popular electronic devices ever. And it’s sure to sell even more after the updates the company announced at this morning’s event. Among them: Larger, cheaper iPod touches and nanos with cameras and FM radios.

Following introductory remarks by Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller offers details, noting that “the iPod has 73.8 percent market share. The next biggest category is ‘other,’ and after that, SanDisk and then Microsoft pulling up the rear.”

Schiller adds that Apple has sold 20 million iPod touches since the device debuted. He runs through a lengthy sales pitch for the iPod touch, touting it as a killer pocket computer and taking potshots at rivals like Dell (DELL) along the way.

Moving on to games, Schiller notes the discrepancy between the number of games on gaming platforms like the Nintendo DS and the iPod touch. The iPhone OS, he notes, has 21,178 games. The DS has just 3,680. Point taken.

Gaming titles across the iPhone, Sony PSP, and Ninendo DS

Moving on to some new game demos now. First up: Ubisoft with Assassin’s Creed 2, which, we are told, is “all about visceral combat, brutal hand-to-hand combat and one-shot kills.” Behind the presenter, a warrior is mercilessly beaten into submission.

Schiller returns to the stage, “Boy, that looks like fun.”

Tapulous' new game, Riddim Ribbon

Tapulous, the developer of Tap Tap Revenge, and Gameloft, follow, both introducing new games. Gameloft’s Nova–a first-person shooter with multiplayer option–seems a far more compelling effort than Tapulous’s Riddim Ribbon, which appears to be a Black Eyed Peas-heavy variation of Tap-Tap.

Up next, Electronic Arts, which is apparently headlining the games section of today’s event. EA’s Travis Boatman takes the stage to introduce Madden NFL 10. The game boasts both custom-kick and draw-a-play-on-screen features developed specifically for the iPhone OS. Madden NFL 10 is available today.

Madden NFL comes to the iPhone and iPod touch

Schiller again returns to the stage. “The iPod touch is the most affordable gateway to the App Store,” he says, adding that $199 is a “magic price point” in the iPod market.

With that, he announces the iPod touch price cuts we heard about earlier this morning: An 8GB model for $199, 32GB for $299, and 64GB for $399. All three devices are significantly faster, says Schiller. Interestingly, none seem to feature that rumored camera.

New prices and storage capacities for the iPod touch lineup.

Price drops as well for the nano, but we knew about these. Apple has dropped the price of the iPod shuffle as well: $59 and $79. And the company is offering them in a new selection of colors. Plus, there’s a special edition of the shuffle crafted from stainless steel.

Steve Jobs returns to the stage. So those are the iPods, but there is one more thing: A video camera. He talks about the exploding video market, mentions the Flip, etc. “We want to get in on this market as well and we’re doing it for free….Boy, this really is the new Apple,” he quips.

iPod nano, now with a video camera, FM tuner, pedometer and brilliant colors.

Yes, the iPod nano does indeed now feature a video camera. The video quality looks impressive. Whoa: Apple has also added FM radio, a voice recorder and a pedometer to the nano. New polished anodized aluminum colors. 8GB model for $149, 16GB model for $179.

After a few concluding remarks about the new iPod lineup, Jobs announces what has become an annual tradition at these events: A live performance. Today’s artist: Norah Jones.

The end of her set concludes today’s event. No iPlatform. No Beatles on iTunes. But lots of product refreshes, software intros, and price cuts. Plus: Steve Jobs is definitely back.

Norah Jones concludes the Let's Rock Apple Music Event.

Live from Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-ipods/feed/ 1 Live from Apple's "Let's Rock" Event: iPod Updates, Games, Nano Video Cameras http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-ipods-2/ http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-ipods-2/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:33:38 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=24252 nano

Apple has sold some 225 million iPods to date, making it one of the most popular electronic devices ever. And it’s sure to sell even more after the updates the company announced at this morning’s event. Among them: Larger, cheaper iPod touches and nanos with cameras and FM radios.

Following introductory remarks by Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs, Phil Schiller offers details, noting that “the iPod has 73.8 percent market share. The next biggest category is ‘other,’ and after that, SanDisk and then Microsoft pulling up the rear.”

Schiller adds that Apple has sold 20 million iPod touches since the device debuted. He runs through a lengthy sales pitch for the iPod touch, touting it as a killer pocket computer and taking potshots at rivals like Dell (DELL) along the way.

Moving on to games, Schiller notes the discrepancy between the number of games on gaming platforms like the Nintendo DS and the iPod touch. The iPhone OS, he notes, has 21,178 games. The DS has just 3,680. Point taken.

Gaming titles across the iPhone, Sony PSP, and Ninendo DS

Moving on to some new game demos now. First up: Ubisoft with Assassin’s Creed 2, which, we are told, is “all about visceral combat, brutal hand-to-hand combat and one-shot kills.” Behind the presenter, a warrior is mercilessly beaten into submission.

Schiller returns to the stage, “Boy, that looks like fun.”

Tapulous' new game, Riddim Ribbon

Tapulous, the developer of Tap Tap Revenge, and Gameloft, follow, both introducing new games. Gameloft’s Nova–a first-person shooter with multiplayer option–seems a far more compelling effort than Tapulous’s Riddim Ribbon, which appears to be a Black Eyed Peas-heavy variation of Tap-Tap.

Up next, Electronic Arts, which is apparently headlining the games section of today’s event. EA’s Travis Boatman takes the stage to introduce Madden NFL 10. The game boasts both custom-kick and draw-a-play-on-screen features developed specifically for the iPhone OS. Madden NFL 10 is available today.

Madden NFL comes to the iPhone and iPod touch

Schiller again returns to the stage. “The iPod touch is the most affordable gateway to the App Store,” he says, adding that $199 is a “magic price point” in the iPod market.

With that, he announces the iPod touch price cuts we heard about earlier this morning: An 8GB model for $199, 32GB for $299, and 64GB for $399. All three devices are significantly faster, says Schiller. Interestingly, none seem to feature that rumored camera.

New prices and storage capacities for the iPod touch lineup.

Price drops as well for the nano, but we knew about these. Apple has dropped the price of the iPod shuffle as well: $59 and $79. And the company is offering them in a new selection of colors. Plus, there’s a special edition of the shuffle crafted from stainless steel.

Steve Jobs returns to the stage. So those are the iPods, but there is one more thing: A video camera. He talks about the exploding video market, mentions the Flip, etc. “We want to get in on this market as well and we’re doing it for free….Boy, this really is the new Apple,” he quips.

iPod nano, now with a video camera, FM tuner, pedometer and brilliant colors.

Yes, the iPod nano does indeed now feature a video camera. The video quality looks impressive. Whoa: Apple has also added FM radio, a voice recorder and a pedometer to the nano. New polished anodized aluminum colors. 8GB model for $149, 16GB model for $179.

After a few concluding remarks about the new iPod lineup, Jobs announces what has become an annual tradition at these events: A live performance. Today’s artist: Norah Jones.

The end of her set concludes today’s event. No iPlatform. No Beatles on iTunes. But lots of product refreshes, software intros, and price cuts. Plus: Steve Jobs is definitely back.

Norah Jones concludes the Let's Rock Apple Music Event.

Live from Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-ipods-2/feed/ 0 Jobs: "I'm Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It" http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-10-am-pdt/ http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-10-am-pdt/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:52:33 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=24254 steve-jobs-ipods

Leave it to Steve Jobs to upstage his own products.

Rumored by some analysts to be a nonevent, Apple’s invitation-only music gathering today is already proving quite eventful. Audience members expecting Apple (AAPL) exec Phil Schiller to quarterback today’s proceedings were given a welcome surprise when CEO Steve Jobs took the stage in his first public appearance since his liver transplant surgery.

He was given a standing ovation.

steve-jobs-lets-rock

So how does he look? Obviously, he’s still quite thin, but from where I sit–which is admittedly near the back of the hall–he appears healthy…but gaunt. And that Willy Wonka charisma of his is back in full force. Certainly, he looks reasonably good for someone who just underwent a liver transplant. And how long does it take to regain 60 pounds anyway? Job’s isn’t De Niro in Raging Bull….


[ See post to watch video ]

Anyway, it’s great to see Jobs onstage again. He speaks quietly and it’s hard to tell if his voice is scratchy or if he’s just humbled by what he’s about to say: “As some of you know, five months ago I had a liver transplant. I now have the liver of a mid-20s person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate their organs. I wouldn’t be here without such generosity, so I hope all of us can be as generous and elect to be organ donors. ..I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone in the Apple community for their support. Thanks as well to Tim Cook and everyone at Apple. They really ran the company very ably during that time. … So I’m vertical, back at Apple and loving every day of it….”

Jobs quickly moves on to the announcements of the day. First up: iPhone 3.1, which now offers a Bluetooth Voice control and Genius feature and supports ringtones sold via the iTunes Store for $1.29. 3.1 is available today as a free download.

Live from Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-10-am-pdt/feed/ 1 Jobs: "I'm Vertical, Back at Apple and Loving Every Day of It" http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-10-am-pdt-2/ http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-10-am-pdt-2/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:52:33 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=24254 steve-jobs-ipods

Leave it to Steve Jobs to upstage his own products.

Rumored by some analysts to be a nonevent, Apple’s invitation-only music gathering today is already proving quite eventful. Audience members expecting Apple (AAPL) exec Phil Schiller to quarterback today’s proceedings were given a welcome surprise when CEO Steve Jobs took the stage in his first public appearance since his liver transplant surgery.

He was given a standing ovation.

steve-jobs-lets-rock

So how does he look? Obviously, he’s still quite thin, but from where I sit–which is admittedly near the back of the hall–he appears healthy…but gaunt. And that Willy Wonka charisma of his is back in full force. Certainly, he looks reasonably good for someone who just underwent a liver transplant. And how long does it take to regain 60 pounds anyway? Job’s isn’t De Niro in Raging Bull….


[ See post to watch video ]

Anyway, it’s great to see Jobs onstage again. He speaks quietly and it’s hard to tell if his voice is scratchy or if he’s just humbled by what he’s about to say: “As some of you know, five months ago I had a liver transplant. I now have the liver of a mid-20s person who died in a car crash and was generous enough to donate their organs. I wouldn’t be here without such generosity, so I hope all of us can be as generous and elect to be organ donors. ..I’d like to take this moment to thank everyone in the Apple community for their support. Thanks as well to Tim Cook and everyone at Apple. They really ran the company very ably during that time. … So I’m vertical, back at Apple and loving every day of it….”

Jobs quickly moves on to the announcements of the day. First up: iPhone 3.1, which now offers a Bluetooth Voice control and Genius feature and supports ringtones sold via the iTunes Store for $1.29. 3.1 is available today as a free download.

Live from Apple’s “Let’s Rock” Event

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090909/live-from-apples-lets-rock-event-10-am-pdt-2/feed/ 0 Apple Cuts iPod Prices Ahead of Event http://allthingsd.com/20090909/apple-cuts-ipod-prices-ahead-of-event/ http://allthingsd.com/20090909/apple-cuts-ipod-prices-ahead-of-event/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:54:03 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=24323 ipodpricedropToday’s Apple event isn’t even underway and already the company is making adjustments to its iPod line. Early this morning, with no fanfare whatsoever–not even a “Back Soon” note on the Apple Store–the company lowered the prices of all its iPods save one, the Shuffle.

Once $399, Apple’s (AAPL) 32GB iPod touch is now $279. Once $299, the 16GB iPod touch is now $249. And the price of the 8GB model has fallen from $229 to $189. The price of the 16GB nano is now $149, down from $189, and the price of its 8GB sibling is $129, down from $149. Finally, the price of the iPod classic, which is apparently not quite EOL yet, has been cut to $229 from $249.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090909/apple-cuts-ipod-prices-ahead-of-event/feed/ 0 Costco Pairs With Gazelle for Old Tech Trade-Ins http://allthingsd.com/20090717/costco-pairs-with-gazelle-for-old-tech-trade-ins/ http://allthingsd.com/20090717/costco-pairs-with-gazelle-for-old-tech-trade-ins/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:37:16 +0000 Geoffrey Fowler http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=13597 Last week, Costco (COST) quietly rolled out a new partnership with Web site Gazelle to encourage its legions of discount shoppers to trade in their old technology for credit they can spend on new gadgets.

The Costco customer program works pretty much like the one that startup Gazelle has offered to everyone for about a year. Enter the make and model of your old gadget (say, a third-generation 8GB iPod Nano) into the Costco Gazelle Web site, and the company tells you how much cash they’ll give you for it ($47, as of Friday, July 17) if you put it in a box and mail it to them. Gazelle then resells your old gear on eBay (EBAY) and to wholesalers–or, if it’s really old, they’ll recycle it for the value of its tech innards.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20090717/costco-pairs-with-gazelle-for-old-tech-trade-ins/feed/ 0 Oh, One More Thing…Goldman Sachs, You're DEAD to Me http://allthingsd.com/20081215/oh-one-more-thing-goldman-sachs-youre-dead-to-me/ http://allthingsd.com/20081215/oh-one-more-thing-goldman-sachs-youre-dead-to-me/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:44:24 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=9679 Apple may not have yet succumbed to the economic malaise that hangs heavy over consumer tech, but it will soon. According to Goldman Sachs, anyway. This morning Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey downgraded Apple’s stock to neutral from a buy, claiming the company will suffer when consumers continue to rein in spending next year. “Although our checks in Asia for the December quarter were better for Apple than for the other PC and smartphone vendors, some nicks have started to emerge,” Bailey wrote. “Specifically, shipments of MacBooks, iPod nanos, and iPhone were all slightly lower than what was expected going into the quarter and Apple should face a tougher environment in the March and June quarters as consumer demand takes another leg down.”

A disheartening prediction. And to make matters worse, Bailey speculates that Apple (AAPL) won’t unveil any new product categories at MacWorld come January, and because of that won’t see the sort of near-term pop it typically experiences after the introduction of a compelling new product. Said Bailey, “[The] nearer-term outlook is less positive, as it now looks unlikely that Apple will launch a new product category at MacWorld in early January, taking away a potential catalyst for the shares and causing Apple to try to generate demand in a tough environment without the benefit of a new offering in the first part of 2009.”

Apple shares closed at $94.75, down 3.58 percent for the day on the news.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081215/oh-one-more-thing-goldman-sachs-youre-dead-to-me/feed/ 1 Oh, One More Thing…Goldman Sachs, You're DEAD to Me http://allthingsd.com/20081215/oh-one-more-thing-goldman-sachs-youre-dead-to-me-2/ http://allthingsd.com/20081215/oh-one-more-thing-goldman-sachs-youre-dead-to-me-2/#comments Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:44:24 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=9679 Apple may not have yet succumbed to the economic malaise that hangs heavy over consumer tech, but it will soon. According to Goldman Sachs, anyway. This morning Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey downgraded Apple’s stock to neutral from a buy, claiming the company will suffer when consumers continue to rein in spending next year. “Although our checks in Asia for the December quarter were better for Apple than for the other PC and smartphone vendors, some nicks have started to emerge,” Bailey wrote. “Specifically, shipments of MacBooks, iPod nanos, and iPhone were all slightly lower than what was expected going into the quarter and Apple should face a tougher environment in the March and June quarters as consumer demand takes another leg down.”

A disheartening prediction. And to make matters worse, Bailey speculates that Apple (AAPL) won’t unveil any new product categories at MacWorld come January, and because of that won’t see the sort of near-term pop it typically experiences after the introduction of a compelling new product. Said Bailey, “[The] nearer-term outlook is less positive, as it now looks unlikely that Apple will launch a new product category at MacWorld in early January, taking away a potential catalyst for the shares and causing Apple to try to generate demand in a tough environment without the benefit of a new offering in the first part of 2009.”

Apple shares closed at $94.75, down 3.58 percent for the day on the news.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081215/oh-one-more-thing-goldman-sachs-youre-dead-to-me-2/feed/ 0 Apple Black Friday Discounts Less Than Some Expected; Cheaper Prices on Macs, iPods From Some Resellers http://allthingsd.com/20081128/apple-black-friday-discounts-less-than-some-expected-cheaper-prices-on-macs-ipods-from-some-resellers/ http://allthingsd.com/20081128/apple-black-friday-discounts-less-than-some-expected-cheaper-prices-on-macs-ipods-from-some-resellers/#comments Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:01:01 +0000 Eric Savitz http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=6389 Apple’s (AAPL) Black Friday discounts are less than some on the Street had expected, and smaller than those being offered by some retail chains. But the company seems to have adopted an unofficial price-matching policy, which makes the picture a little fuzzier than it appears at first glance.

Some examples:

  • 13-inch Macbooks, $101 off
  • 20-inch iMac, $51 off
  • 8 GB iPod Nano, $11 off
  • 8 GB iPod Touch, $21 off
  • iPod Classic, $21 off

Read the rest of this post

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20081128/apple-black-friday-discounts-less-than-some-expected-cheaper-prices-on-macs-ipods-from-some-resellers/feed/ 1 Let's Snooze: Apple Rebounds Slightly After iPod Refresh http://allthingsd.com/20080910/lets-snooze-apple-rebounds-slightly-after-ipod-refresh/ http://allthingsd.com/20080910/lets-snooze-apple-rebounds-slightly-after-ipod-refresh/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:59:45 +0000 Eric Savitz http://voices.allthingsd.com/?p=3710 Apple’s much-anticipated “Let’s Rock” media event yesterday featured a group of largely expected announcements on updates to iTunes, the iPod Nano and the iPod Touch that left investors distinctly uninspired.

The stock dropped sharply yesterday during and after the event, held in San Francisco, rebounding modestly today.

The Street’s reaction to the announcements was largely mixed. Expectations heading into Apple (AAPL) product launches are often far beyond the rational; almost all of yesterday’s product news had already leaked into the rumor mill.

Read the rest of this post

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080910/lets-snooze-apple-rebounds-slightly-after-ipod-refresh/feed/ 0 One–Make That Two–Words: Plastic Logic http://allthingsd.com/20080908/one-make-that-two-words-plastic-logic/ http://allthingsd.com/20080908/one-make-that-two-words-plastic-logic/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:00:07 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=4614

[ See post to watch video ]

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080908/one-make-that-two-words-plastic-logic/feed/ 0 Apple's "Let’s Rock" Event More of an Easy-Listening Affair? http://allthingsd.com/20080908/apples-let%e2%80%99s-rock-event-more-of-an-easy-listening-affair/ http://allthingsd.com/20080908/apples-let%e2%80%99s-rock-event-more-of-an-easy-listening-affair/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:00:44 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=4557 To hear tell from AmTech analyst Shaw Wu, Apple’s (AAPL) “Let’s Rock” media event tomorrow may be a bit less rockin’ than the Mac faithful would like to believe. In a research note to clients Friday, Wu said the event could prove a letdown for anyone hoping to see new hardware beyond a fourth-generation iPod nano and a slimmer second-generation iPod touch. Apparently Wu’s supply chain checks haven’t turned up any evidence of redesigned MacBooks, which means their debut at Tuesday’s event is unlikely. “While there is always room for surprise, it seems this event may be somewhat underwhelming versus previous expectations and events,” he wrote, adding that there is potential for a “wild card” announcement or two.

Wild cards, hmm? What sort of wild cards, exactly? According to Wu, “an advanced AppleTV with DVR and TV tuner capabilities” or “new touch form factors (iPod-Mac hybrid) with larger screens.” Perhaps even an iPhone 2.1 firmware update.

LIVE COVERAGE ALERT: Check back here Tuesday morning for live coverage of the event beginning at 10 AM P.S.T.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080908/apples-let%e2%80%99s-rock-event-more-of-an-easy-listening-affair/feed/ 1 Apple's "Let’s Rock" Event More of an Easy-Listening Affair? http://allthingsd.com/20080908/apples-let%e2%80%99s-rock-event-more-of-an-easy-listening-affair-2/ http://allthingsd.com/20080908/apples-let%e2%80%99s-rock-event-more-of-an-easy-listening-affair-2/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:00:44 +0000 John Paczkowski http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/?p=4557 To hear tell from AmTech analyst Shaw Wu, Apple’s (AAPL) “Let’s Rock” media event tomorrow may be a bit less rockin’ than the Mac faithful would like to believe. In a research note to clients Friday, Wu said the event could prove a letdown for anyone hoping to see new hardware beyond a fourth-generation iPod nano and a slimmer second-generation iPod touch. Apparently Wu’s supply chain checks haven’t turned up any evidence of redesigned MacBooks, which means their debut at Tuesday’s event is unlikely. “While there is always room for surprise, it seems this event may be somewhat underwhelming versus previous expectations and events,” he wrote, adding that there is potential for a “wild card” announcement or two.

Wild cards, hmm? What sort of wild cards, exactly? According to Wu, “an advanced AppleTV with DVR and TV tuner capabilities” or “new touch form factors (iPod-Mac hybrid) with larger screens.” Perhaps even an iPhone 2.1 firmware update.

LIVE COVERAGE ALERT: Check back here Tuesday morning for live coverage of the event beginning at 10 AM P.S.T.

]]> http://allthingsd.com/20080908/apples-let%e2%80%99s-rock-event-more-of-an-easy-listening-affair-2/feed/ 0