iPod iTunes Zone

Ambrosia Software has released iToner 1.0.2 which allows you to easily transfer MP3 or AAC audio files to your iPhone without modifying, hacking or having to reset your iPhone. Simply drag and drop your MP3 or AAC audio files on iToner’s window, click the Sync button, and you’re done.

Ambrosia states, “Your ringtones will continue to work with future iPhone OS updates.”

iToner 1.0.2 offers “continued iTunes 7.4.x compatibility, playlist improvements, along with other fixes and enhancements.”

Users who download iToner receive a trial version that operates as a fully functional product for 30 days for evaluation purposes. After 30 days, iToner costs US$15.

iToner requires:
• iPhone
• Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later

Read the full article here and download here.

“The question is so absurd, so insipid, and so silly that I’m loathe to even bother answering it. The answer, of course, is no. There are plenty of heterosexual men who own and use Macs. These folks come from all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds,” Jim Lynch writes for ExtremeTech.

“If you do a Google search for “famous mac users” you’ll even find that there are even quite a few famous heterosexual men and women that use Macs. You know that Macs have across-the-board appeal when you have [both] Al Gore [and] Rush Limbaugh… using them,” Lynch writes. “So where did this silly idea about Macs take root? Where did Goofball IT Drone get this from?”

“I think it has to do with the fact that Macs and other Apple products have traditionally looked much better and been far more reliable than their crappy Windows counterparts. And, for IT drones like Goofball IT Drone, this idea is very offensive and cannot be tolerated,” Lynch writes. “But I guess you can’t blame them too much for being so ignorant, if all you ever used was Windows then how would you know how incredibly wimpy it is?”

“And just what exactly do these IT drones do all day with their Windows computers? When they aren’t busy downloading porn (or ‘checking the firewall’ as they call it) they spend most of their time trying to keep their Windows machines clean of viruses and spyware. Gotta run that spyware/malware/virus application every ten minutes or your uber-tough, macho Windows box will be brought to its knees in a matter of minutes,” Lynch writes. “Wow. When you step back and look at it, you really can see the inherent manliness of Windows.”

“Goofball IT Drone is conflating masculinity (or his perception of the lack thereof) with computer hardware. Many people who oppose 2nd amendment civil rights also conflate masculinity with guns in a twisted way. Usually you can identify these folks when they say things like ‘gun owners own guns because they have small penises’ and that sort of nasty, dehumanizing rhetoric. Goofball IT Drone doesn’t like it when the gun grabbers say things like that and neither do I as I’m a gun owner too,” Lynch writes.

Lynch writes, “But anti-Mac-bigots like Goofball IT Drone do essentially the same thing in reverse. They demonize Macs (and thus all Mac owners) by projecting their own internal perception of Mac computers as being ‘feminine’ outward onto everybody else. In the end anti-Mac-bigots and gun grabbers are essentially the same kind of people, they dislike an inanimate object and attempt to ridicule and mock it because they either fear it outright or just dislike it. And worse, they attempt to dehumanize the people who own the objects they dislike by referring to them in a condescending, contemptuous way.”

Read the full article here.

“Karma. Doing the ‘right thing.’ Thinking different. Apple’s enlightened approach to building customer loyalty is now famous, generating big headlines every time CEO Steve Jobs takes on Hollywood or the music industry. Attempts to raise iTunes prices? ‘Greedy.’ A fight with NBC over revenues? ‘Give peace a chance.’ That’s Apple, your socially-conscious corporate friend, who does right by you while standing up to big bullies — sort of like a character from a Pixar movie,” Jeremy Horwitz writes for iLounge.

“But over the past two weeks, Apple’s fans have been grumbling that the company they knew and loved is transforming into another Microsoft, making short-sighted, anti-consumer decisions and carelessly releasing products with user experience-diminishing problems. In response, an increasingly angry erosion of Apple’s brand loyalty is beginning, with complaints mounting all over the Internet, including on the company’s own discussion forums,” Horwitz writes.

Horwitz covers four of issues that are “still largely unresolved by Apple, and the extreme anger and disappointment that its customers have been expressing as a result.”

• Apple Breaks 2005-2007 Video Add-Ons: No Warning, Just Buy New Ones
• iTunes Store iPod Games: Buy Them Again for New iPods
• iPod touch Screen Problems: Deny Them, Charge Restocking Fees
• iPhone Ringtones: Pay Twice for Each Song; Forget Using Your Own

Read the full article here.

During the market disruptions of the past couple of months, we saw Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) fall from a high of $148 to a low of $118 ( man, what an opportunity that was!!). The stock is now back up to $141 and this may be your last chance to buy it here under $150. Why? A lot of catalysts are on the near term horizon. Apple finishes its fiscal year in 11 days. The September 30 quarter and year-end will wrap up an exceptional year for Apple, yet many would argue that the best is yet to come. I expect the year finishing in 11 days to have final revenue numbers of $24 billion with earnings per share coming in at $3.75. iPhone revenues will be somewhat relevant, but that piece of the Apple story is JUST BEGINNING. As Apple exits fiscal year 2007, the more relevant story is still the overwhelming success of the iPod with the corresponding iTunes store, and of course, the newly revamped Mac computer. Mac is gaining market share in a fairly fluid market.

The iPhone production is ramping up. For the year (calendar year), Apple had planned to produce 3.6 million iPhone units. That number is now at 4.8 million units in planned production. European nations will be rolled out for iPhone availability beginning in the calendar fourth quarter with the UK and Germany getting ready for the onslaught.

Read theComplete Article here.

iLounge has confirmed with Apple that past purchasers of iPod games will have to re-purchase the titles to play them on the recently-released iPod classic and iPod nano (with video). According to an Apple representative, the games will need to be repurchased because they were “reformatted” for the new iPods.

Reformatted iPod games currently include EA’s Tetris and Sudoku, as well as Namco Networks’ Ms. Pac-Man. An additional 15 titles are yet to be converted for play on the iPod classic and new nano. Each game sells for $4.99, and no further guarantees of compatibility with other devices, such as a computer, iPhone, or iPod touch, are made by Apple.

Read the Complete Article Here.

Apple is likely to make so much money from its share of iPhone usage fees paid to wireless phone companies that it can sell the product at a loss and still make money. It can even cover the cost of its $100 rebates to people who bought the phone before it cut the price to $399.

That’s the conclusion of Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein. In a report issued late last week, Mr. Sacconaghi undertakes a complex analysis that concludes that Apple is receiving significant payments from AT&T, a carrier with exclusive US rights to the iPhone, for the privilege of partnership. This is similar to the deals Apple is reportedly about to announce in Europe.

The report estimates that Apple will sell seven million phones in its fiscal 2008, generating $1.05 billion from the sale of the phones and $715 million from carrier payments. That’s 41 percent of Apple’s iPhone revenues.

Before we get to the fine print, here’s why it matters. The iPhone could have an overall impact on the economics of the phone industry. It has put a hardware manufacturer in a highly unusual position of strength relative to the carriers (Verizon, AT&T, etc.). They’re accustomed to calling the shots about what devices get access to their network; not so with the iPhone. It carries its own weight with consumers.

Read the Complete Story Here.

Wireless technology company InterDigital today announced that it has inked a severn-year licension agreement with Apple to provide wireless technology for the company’s iPhone as well as any future handsets, according to Reuters. InterDigital designs, develops, and provides advanced wireless technology to power voice as well as data communications.

The company is a well known developer of wireless communications in the tech industry responsible for creating technology embedded in every 2G (EDGE), 2.5G, and 3G (HSDPA) device on the market.

At least one analyst believes the new deal spans 2G and 3G cellular technologies covering bandwidth allocation as well as roaming and power efficiency controls. The analyst also thinks the deal will likely include some form of packet data coding and delivery.

source : www.electronista.com 

Apple Inc. sold its millionth iPhone on Sunday, just 74 days after the combination cell phone-iPod went on sale and less than a week after its price was cut by a third.Apple previously said it expected to hit the million-sold mark by the end of September.

Monday’s announcement sent Apple shares up $2.94, or 2.2 percent to $134.71.

On Wednesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs cut the price of the 8-gigabyte iPhone from $599 to $399 and discontinued the $499 4-gigabyte version.

The next day he apologized to those who had paid full price and offered $100 credits to early buyers.

In a letter on the company’s Web site, Jobs acknowledged that Apple disappointed some of its customers and said he had received hundreds of e-mails complaining about the price cut.

Jobs added that “the technology road is bumpy,” and there will always be people who pay top dollar for the latest electronics but get angry later when the price drops.

“This is life in the technology lane,” Jobs said in the letter Thursday.

source : biz.yahoo.com

Apple today introduced a new iPod to accompany its tiny iPod shuffle, mid-sized iPod nano, and full featured video-capable iPod now known as iPod classic. The iPod touch looks remarkably similar to the company’s iPhone, and features a multi-touch display of the exact same size as its feature-packed older sibling.

With built-in WiFi capability and the addition of Apple’s new iTunes WiFi Music Store, iPod touch owners can preview and purchase tracks wirelessly from any hot-spot — including any WiFi-capable Starbucks location, thanks to Apple’s newfound partnership with the coffee drink company. The iPod touch allows users to surf the web with Safari, browse YouTube videos, and play music as well as videos.

iPod touch displayThe iPod touch features a 3.5-inch widescreen display for watching movies, TV shows, and viewing photos. The liquid crystal display boasts 320 x 480 pixels, and supports the same multi-touch finger gestures that iPhone owners have grown used to since the cellular phone began shipping in late July.

SpecificationsThe iPod touch is just 8mm thick, making it even thinner than the iPhone. The new iPod comes with 8GB and 16GB storage capacities for toting up to 1,750 songs or 3,500 songs, respectively. Battery life provides up to 22 hours of music playback or up to five hours of watching videos. Leaving the new media player to charge for around 1.5 hours will recharge the battery to 80 percent of its capacity, according to Apple, while achieving a full charge requires leaving the device plugged in for around three hours total.

Measuring 4.3 x 2.4 x 0.31-inches or 110 x 61.8 x 8mm, Apple’s newest iPod weighs in at 4.2-ounces or 120 grams and includes a Universal Dock connector.

In the box
The device ships with earphones, a USB 2.0 cable, a Dock adapter, a polishing cloth, a stand, and a Quick Start guide. Apple adds that Mac owners looking to purchase the iPod touch require at least one USB 2.0 port, iTunes 7.4 or later, an internet connection, an iTunes Store account, and Mac OS X 10.4.10 or later.

source : ipodnn

Apple’s Steve Jobs on Thursday said he would offers previous iPhone customers a $100 store credit toward purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store, following thousands of emails and feedback from angry customers.Backtracking on his previous hard-line stance, Jobs also acknowledged the role of early adopters in the evolution of a product, while emphasizing that price continues to decline over the life of any technology product. Customers, he said, could expect a $100 credit some time next week. In an open letter to customers, the CEO reiterated that the company was making the right decision with its price cut ahead of the holiday season, but noted that trust was an important factor in customer relationships.

“If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you’ll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon,” Jobs said. “The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.”

Jobs conceded that while the technology road is a bumpy one, Apple should have done a better job of taking care of early iPhone customers, many of which make up the company’s most faithful.

“Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple’s website next week. Stay tuned,” he wrote.

The Cupertino-based company aggressively deleted anti-Apple threads after announcing its price cut yesterday morning. Upset iPhone owners posted their frustration in droves, and one user claimed Apple had deleted upwards of 2,200 posts throughout the day. Dozens of posts and readers from around the Web called on fellow iPhone owners to contact media organizations and send emails to Steve Jobs himself.

source : macnn.com