0 Take a "Field Trip to the Apple Store"

Apple continues to come up with innovative ways to introduce younger generations to its family of products, the latest of which invites teachers to book a field trip to a local Apple retail store ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Apple says on their new Field Trip web page to take students on a Field Trip to an Apple Store for an unforgettable learning experience. On their Field Trip, students can create something amazing right on the spot. Or they can bring in a project they’ve already created and turn our store into a theater, sharing their achievements with parents, teachers, and friends. No matter which option you choose, everyone will have a great time.
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Create amazing projects.
Your students can use the Mac computers in our store to create photo albums in iPhoto, edit video in iMovie, build websites in iWeb, make Keynote presentations, or even compose their own songs in GarageBand.

Showcase their work.
If your students have already created amazing projects on Macs or PCs in school or at home, they can share them with others in our store and get the recognition they deserve for their talented work.

The goal is to introduce K-12 students in the US and Canada to the world of Apple products right before they'll be filling out their holiday wish lists. As such, the company said it will be taking reservations from teachers from now through November 21st. Teachers can request up to three date options and an Apple Store specialist will contact them by telephone within 48 hours to seal the deal.

Apple Store Trainers and Specialists will be on-hand to answer questions and give expert, on-the-spot advice, the company said. Every participating student will also leave clad in a free Apple T-Shirt.

Apple also asks that teacher name a "School Champion" who can gather and present their school’s content, help distribute invitations to the event, and act as the key contact for the Apple Retail Store hosting their Field Trip. In return, the company will provide the School Champion with a complimentary one-year One to One personal training membership.

Detail: Take a "Field Trip to the Apple Store"

0 Apple co-founder thinks iPod has about run its course. No way Jose!

Appleinsider has posted an article with the headline "Apple co-founder believes iPod has about run its course". The article says that Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said "The iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one,". Steve Wozniak also said "Things like that, if you look back to transistor radios and Walkmans, they kind of die out after a while."
". He said this in a interview to The Telegraph.

Can anybody believe that? This man WOZ with all due respect has completely gone out of touch with the industry specifically the MP3 players market. The iPod Touch is the 3 best selling top rated MP3 and all are completely sold out.

This article triggered off some interesting comments from the forum users:

alpha10711 says "The iPod market may be "mature" but it is far from over.... Each day there are thousands of kids reaching the age where they want to download and carry music around. Then there are international markets to be reached. Then there are the existing iPod owners who need to replace their units or want the new, improved model. So the iPod market isn't going away anytime soon. This almost sounds like sour grapes from Woz."

anantksundaram says "There is no way that the iPod will 'run its course' -- just as television sets or automobiles or sunglasses will not -- but rather, it'll evolve, get better, and perhaps be integrated with a whole lot of things that we use..."

fraklinc notes, "I like Woz but come on does he always got to throw something negative about Apple everytime he talks about it, sure the original ipods will die out but the touch will take it's place, just look at best buy.com for example, the 3 best selling MP3s are all iPod touch and are all sold out"

Matthew Yohe says, "Sure, as a music player, many many people do have a flavor of iPod. But the market is wide open again for the Touch/iPhone platform. Getting a Touch in everyone's hands will send a lot more business Apple's way than music ever did."

What are you views on this? Leave a comment.

Detail: Apple co-founder thinks iPod has about run its course. No way Jose!

0 iPhone, iPod touch OS 2.2 beta: Google Street View maps, ability to turn off text auto-correction

"Last week AppleInsider reported that the first private beta of iPhone Software 2.2 included a redesigned Safari address bar, as well as a new version of the App Store application with interface tweaks and a new bug report feature," AI reports.

"While those changes are visible to developers testing the software, a post at MacRumors details support for a few other features that have thus far remain inaccessible to developers, as they're not yet fully activated in the betas," AI reports.

"Among them is a preference to turn off the iPhone's text auto-correction. A request for this functionality was recently the subject of an online petition that has since received over 20,000 signatures," AI reports. "Another feature is support for Google Street View in the iPhone's Maps application."

Detail: iPhone, iPod touch OS 2.2 beta: Google Street View maps, ability to turn off text auto-correction

0 13 Great iTunes Add-ons for Free

iTunes 8 may be great, but it isn't perfect. Here is a list of 13 Free iTunes software add-ons and accessories that will greatly enhance your iTunes experience.

Last.fm (Mac and PC)
Last.fm analyses the music in your iTunes library and finds similar music from other artists that you might like and / or shares your musical tastes with other Last.fm members. Key features include the ability to create custom radio stations and playlists. Different versions of the app are available for iPhone and iPod Touch users too.

The Filter (Mac and PC)
Just like the new Genius feature in iTunes 8 and Last.fm, The Filter serves up music recommendations based on your musical tastes - but can also serve up TV programmes, movies and web video too.
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When The Filter runs for the first time it will scan your music library and send back the data to The Filter servers. This will mean that we don’t recommend you music that you already own and will also result in The Filter giving you more accurate daily recommendations.

The Filter will then sit in your task bar and can display notifications when you start playing a new song. The Filter also has a social networking element - which is great if you're struggling to find fellow enjoyers online.

Magnetosphere (Mac and PC)
The best ever visualiser for iTunes is now included with iTunes 8, but if you don't like the changes Apple has made, we have good news - you can still download the original version from the Barbarian Group's website. Just scroll down the Software page to find some carefully buried links hidden in replies to customer questions.

MetaX (Mac only)
If your iTunes library is stuffed with music videos, TV shows and movies, you'll be familiar with one of the most frustrating aspects of iTunes - its wilful tendency to classify everything as a 'movie', while also leaving out most of the metadata (artist, album, etc). MetaX solves all these problems and more.

AutoRate (Mac only)
This plug-in automates the tedious task of rating iTunes tracks. Getting the most from Smart Playlists in iTunes depends to a certain extent on the star ratings you give to your content. AutoRate analyses your entire library and then rates your songs according to how often you've played or skipped them.

iTunes Library Manager (Mac only)
Although you can create multiple libraries in iTunes, Apple's solution doesn't work particularly well. This app enables you to create separate libraries with accompanying Preferences files for each. The free version enables you to create two different libraries, stumping up the $10 shareware fee enables you to create many more.

Remote (Mac and PC)
If you're lucky enough to own an iPhone or iPod Touch, this little app gives you playback control over your entire iTunes library using both devices' built-in Wi-Fi connection. Artist, album and track info is displayed right on your iPhone or iPod Touch, along with cover art.

Senuti (Mac only)
One of the worst things about iTunes is that you can't easily transfer content from your iPod into it - which you might need to do if your iTunes library goes 'phut' for some reason. Senuti's solution makes iPod to iTunes transfers a breeze, enabling you to synchronise individual tracks, playlists and metadata.

iConcertCal (Mac and PC)
This visualiser plug-in doesn't dazzle you with hyperactive visual effects, but rather serves up a list of upcoming concerts and album releases in your area. Clicking a link kicks you over to Amazon.com (where iConcertCal's creators get a cut if you buy something), or to a suitable concert promo site. UK integration is limited, but it's a great idea that works well.

iGenres (Mac only)
iTunes 8 now lets you view your music and movie library by genre, complete with artwork for each one. The problem is iTunes genres are pretty broad, which can be frustrating if your tastes are more specialised. iGenres gets around that problem by serving up artwork for a wide variety of sub-genres using user-generated content.

WhiteCap iTunes Visualiser (Mac and PC)
Another great alternative to the visualisers found in iTunes. This one uses wire-frame animation to create amazing 3D visuals - and even works well on a flat panel TV. It includes a wide-range of customisation options and a screensaver.

iTuny (PC only)
Launchy is the nearest thing Windows has to QuickSilver - an app that enables you to fire up applications using a few simple keystrokes. iTuny integrates iTunes control into Launchy, letting you play, pause, skip tracks and so on without having to resort to iTunes.

FoxyTunes (Windows only)
If you like to listen to music while you surf, this plug-in for Firefox and Internet Explorer could be just what you need. It offers basic playback controls for iTunes, as well as a wide variety of other media players. It even enables you to get access to related web content simply by using the right-click menu.

Do you know any other cool iTunes addons that are free? Drop a comment and let us all know!

Detail: 13 Great iTunes Add-ons for Free

0 iTunes won't close down! Music royalty hike turned down by CRB

The planned royalty increase for CD and digital music downloads was slapped down by the Copyright Royalty Board, according to MarketWatch.

A three-judge panel oversaw the decision, declining a raise from 9.1 cents per song to 15 cents. The royalty increase faced stiff opposition from music stores, with Apple threatening that, should the royalty hike go through, it would cease operations of the iTunes music store. iTunes is currently the largest music retailer in the US, having recently pulled ahead of Walmart.

After hearing of the planned royalty hike, iTunes VP Eddy Cue suggested that iTunes would close, since they could offer no mutually beneficial alternative. iTunes would either run at a loss, or they would have to charge more for music, which would infuriate customers.

Detail: iTunes won't close down! Music royalty hike turned down by CRB

0 Apple iTunes 8.0.1 is available

Apple released iTunes version 8.0.1 earlier today. This update is 58.8MB in size, and features the following changes:

-Seamlessly plays the current song when creating a new Genius playlist.
-Improves syncing spoken menus to iPod nano.
-Addresses an issue of deleting HD TV episodes when downloading.
-Improves checking for updates from the App Store
-Improves accessibility with VoiceOver.
-Addresses problems syncing Genius results to iPod.

That's quite a detailed release note from Apple! You can get your copy now via Software Update.

Drop a comment if you experience any trouble.

Detail: Apple iTunes 8.0.1 is available

0 iTunes may close down. Can you believe that?

A ruling this week could force online music sellers to pay publishers more money - as an Apple threat to close iTunes looms

For five years, Apple's iTunes Music Store has been the Internet's most successful music store. But as music publishers have sought a higher share of its proceeds, Apple has threatened to shutter iTunes.

The Copyright Royalty Board in Washington, D.C. is expected to rule Thursday on a request by the National Music Publishers' Association to increase royalty rates paid to its members on songs purchased from online music stores like iTunes. The publishers association wants rates raised from 9 cents to 15 cents a track - a 66% hike.
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Apple declined to discuss the board's pending decision or its previous threat to shut down iTunes. But it adamantly opposes the publishers' request. In a statement submitted to the board last year, iTunes vice president Eddy Cue said Apple might close its download store rather than raise its 99 cents a song price or absorb the higher royalty costs.

"If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the ... royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss - which is no alternative at all," Cue wrote. "Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."

The Copyright Royalty Board is a three-judge panel that oversees statutory licenses granted under federal copyright law. That includes setting royalty rates for music sales. The current proceeding followed the expiration last year of a 1997 decision that had governed sales of so-called physical music products like CDs for a decade. The board's forthcoming decision, its first affecting digital sales, will set royalty rates for the next five years.

It's hard to believe that Apple will actually shut down iTunes if it doesn't get its way. Apple has shrewdly used the store to help sell iPods, its most popular product.

A fee hike nobody wants to pay
Piper Jaffray estimates that Apple will sell 2.4 billion songs this year, giving it an 85% share of the digital music market. But Apple's rhetoric illustrates the challenges that the nascent digital music industry faces.

The Recording Industry Association of America says sales of digital songs and albums rose 46% last year, to $1.2 billion. But as Cue notes in his statement, Apple's profits from iTunes remain slim. This is because Apple doesn't think the market is strong enough for it to raise its 99-cents-a-song price.

"I have no doubt that an increase in the per track price would lower total music purchases at the store," the Apple executive said in his statement.

Apple pays an estimated 70 cents of every dollar it collects per song to the record companies responsible for each track. The record companies turn over nine cents to the music publishers who control the copyrights to these tunes.

The record companies are in no mood to pay the proposed royalty increase out of their pockets. Not when CD sales, their one-time cash cow, fell last year by 20%, to $7.4 billion. They are asking the Copyright Royalty Board to abandon the fixed per-song payment in favor of 8% of wholesales revenues.

The Digital Media Association, which represents Apple and other online music services, is seeking an even lower rate of 4.8 cents a track, or 6% of "applicable revenues."

The music publishers are unmoved. They argue that the digital music market is growing and that they should get a higher rate because all parties in this squabble will ultimately prosper.

What is your take on this story?

Detail: iTunes may close down. Can you believe that?