May 15

Apple’s iTunes #1 Music Retailer in U.S.

Posted in: amazon, Apple, itunes, Music, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on April 03, 2008 by CyberNet.

itunes number one Over the last year or so, we have watched as Apple’s iTunes has become an ever increasing influence in the music industry. It was just last June (2007) when they passed Amazon and took over the #3 position as largest music retailer in the United States. In February (2008), Apple announced that they had become the #2 music retailer and surpassed Best Buy which was another huge milestone for them (this was likely data from December that they were reporting on). Standing in their way of first place up until now has been discount department store Wal-Mart. News today is that for the first time ever, iTunes has passed Wal-Mart and they are now the number one retailer of music in the United States according to the NPD Music Watch Survey conducted by the NPD Group.

Ars Technica was the first to report on this saying that they received documents that had come from Apple. Apparently certain Apple employees received an email memo with charts showing their first place position, and one of them passed them on to Ars. The charts show that this data is for the month of January, and so clearly sales of gift cards around the holidays really helped them out. According to the latest survey, the stats are as follows:

  1. iTunes – 19%
  2. Wal-Mart (in-store and online sales) – 15%
  3. Best Buy – 13%
  4. Amazon – 6%

Other stores that make up the whole include Borders, Target, Circuit City, Barnes & Nobles, and a few others.

One thing that’s really going to help out Apple is that more and more people are learning about digital downloads and actually starting to use them. Physical sales of music are continuing to decrease while digital downloads are increasing. There are multiple music download sites out there, but iTunes remains one of, if not the most well-known site out there. Apple’s takeover of first place also means that the sales of full CDs will probably continue to decrease.  When people walk into a retail store to purchase their music, they really have no choice but to buy the whole CD.  When they purchase online, they can pick which songs they really want and most of the time, people don’t bother to get the whole album.

Now we’re just wondering if they will be able to hold on to the first place position in the months to come, or if it was the sales of thousands upon thousands of iTunes gift cards that helped push them into the #1 position.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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May 14

Microsoft Releasing Windows Live Folders Soon?

Posted in: Apple, Microsoft, Screenshots, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on April 24, 2007 by CyberNet.

WLFoldersThere has been some news making its way out that Microsoft will soon be launching what everyone calls the “Live Drive.” The service will more than likely be called Windows Live Folders which is something Microsoft accidentally revealed on their online feedback site. A screenshot from the feedback site is pictured to the right, but the link has since been removed. For the time being you can still see it in this cached version which shows the Live Folders option pointing to this broken link).

When Microsoft first announced some information regarding the service last August they said that it would include around 2GB of free storage, but that is likely to increase since that is how much their email service offers now! By this point I think most email services provide more storage space than that, so I would guess that Microsoft will up it to 4GB or 5GB of free online storage. Much like their email service they will probably also have more advanced packages available for those who need more storage space.

Microsoft is also expected to make some announcements next week in Las Vegas as when their 3–day MIX event is going on. A lot of the speculation is that Microsoft will finally release the @Live.com email addresses, and maybe we’ll also see more information on the Windows Live Folders. Keep your eyes peeled next week as we see what Microsoft has in store for us!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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May 14

How would you change Apple’s Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro?

Posted in: Apple, HowWouldYouChange, HWYC, laptop, macbook, macbook pro, MacbookPro, notebook, thunderbolt, Today's Chili

Same ‘ole, same ‘ole? There’s no doubt that Apple’s newest MacBook Pro looks awfully similar to the models that have come before it, but the engineers in Cupertino still managed to shake a few things up on the early 2011 model. Aside from throwing an AMD GPU under the hood, pairing that with Intel’s integrated HD 3000 chipset and implementing Sandy Bridge, there’s also an entirely new I/O port: Thunderbolt. But was that really enough? For those of you who couldn’t escape the upgrade bug, we’re curious to know if you’ve been satisfied with the upgrade. If you had control of things, what would you change? Add a few more USB ports? Insist that native USB 3.0 support be added? Throw in a Blu-ray drive? Maybe add a couple of palm rest stickers? Toss your ideas out in comments below — but let’s keep it civil down there, cool?

How would you change Apple’s Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 14

Mopho DJ uses your iPhone to track turntable movement (instead of your movements)

Posted in: Apple, ios, iPhone, Music, Today's Chili, video
We have to admit, we never thought of this one — and it’s pretty, pretty slick. Instead of using time-coded vinyl to interface your turntable with your computer as with Final Scratch Pro or Serato Scratch, Nicholas J. Bryan’s Mopho DJ uses an iPhone. That’s right, our man at Stanford University literally affixes his smartphones to his decks via a perspex disc and some sort of adhesive. The smartphones each run an app which sends accelerometer and gyroscope data to a computer, which then adjusts playback of your music accordingly. It’s still a work-in-progress at the moment, but if you’re in Oslo the first week in June make sure you check it out at the NIME (New Interfaces for Musical Expression) conference. This is definitely the kind of iOS location tracking we can get behind! Check it out on video after the break.

Continue reading Mopho DJ uses your iPhone to track turntable movement (instead of your movements)

Mopho DJ uses your iPhone to track turntable movement (instead of your movements) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 May 2011 19:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 13

Lodsys warns iOS devs, alleges in-app purchases infringe its patent

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, developer, developers, iPhone, Law, lawsuit, legal, patent, Today's Chili


A handful of iOS developers received letters this week from a patent holding firm claiming that their applications that offer in-app purchases infringe on the firm’s intellectual property (IP). The letter threatens legal action if developers don’t license the patent within 21 days. Lodsys, the firm in question, has apparently patented a system that collects usage data and facilitates feedback between a customer and vendor, though it doesn’t address financial transactions specifically. The allegedly infringing applications use Apple’s in-app purchase tool to encourage users to upgrade to a paid version after downloading a free app. Though it’s possible that Lodsys has sent a similar warning to Apple, only individual developers confirmed receiving the document. This makes us wonder if the company is skipping the well-armed big target in favor of the little guys.

Several developers posted on Twitter after receiving the letters, including Patrick McCarron (Shanghai for iPad), James Thomson (PCalc), and Matt Braun (MASH). They’re understandably unwilling to share too many details at this point — even though Apple developed the framework, developers could still be liable. Lodsys appears to be in the business of launching suits referencing U.S. patent 7,222,078, having gone after Canon, HP, Samsung, and other giants earlier this year. As the developers that have come to light so far are independent, with limited budgets, some have reached out to Apple legal for assistance, and are awaiting response. We aren’t seeing the connection between the patent and in-app purchases, though that’s ultimately up to a federal court to determine, if the firm even files a lawsuit. Drama in its finest form, folks.

Lodsys warns iOS devs, alleges in-app purchases infringe its patent originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 13

Patent Firm Shakes Down iPhone App Programmers

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, Law, patents, R&D and Inventions, Today's Chili

Apple's App Store is home to 400,000 apps from third-party programmers. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

If your pockets aren’t deep enough to fight a corporate giant, then sue the little guys for milk money.

That’s the idea behind a patent company’s legal threats against several independent iPhone app programmers rather than Apple.

Several iOS programmers on Friday morning said they received a legal complaint from Lodsys, a patent-holding firm.

Lodsys is accusing the developers of infringing a patent related to the usage of an “upgrade” button that customers can use to upgrade from a free version of an app to a paid version, or to make purchases from within an app.

Apple provides the payment technology that programmers embed inside their apps, but the Lodsys complaint is instead aimed squarely at the programmers using Apple’s in-app purchasing system.

Programmers who say they have received the complaint include James Thomson, creator of the scientific calculator app PCalc; Dave Castelnuovo, creator of the best-selling game Pocket God; and Matt Braun, developer of the popular iPhone kids game MASH.

Many apps use Apple’s in-app payment system, so the number of companies to receive the legal threat could soon grow much larger.

“Just got hit by very worrying threat of patent infringement lawsuit for using in-app purchase in PCalc Lite. Legal docs arrived via fedex,” Thomson tweeted Friday morning.

Programmers who have received the complaint say that Lodsys is demanding that they negotiate for a license to use the “upgrade” technology within 21 days, or a lawsuit will be filed.

This incident is an example of a practice that many in the industry would call “patent trolling,” which means using patents for little purpose other than to sue other companies until they cough up damages or licensing fees.

Lodsys did not respond to a request for comment.

On its website, Lodsys claims ownership of patents related to technologies that “provide for online purchasing of consumable supplies” and “sell upgrades or complimentary products,” among others.

Lodsys is based in eastern Texas, which is home to a federal court that often sides with patent holders. Patent lawyers around the world know that the easiest and quickest way to win a patent-related dispute is to file the complaint in Marshall, Texas. As a result, many defendants choose to settle instead of fight.

“One concern is that if we are the lightning rod, it could end up being pretty expensive for us, because they would choose to sue us no matter what our argument is,” Pocket God creator Castelnuovo told Wired.com.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment. It’s unclear whether the company will get involved in the patent dispute.

However, it seems likely that Apple will intervene. If Lodsys sues or imposes licensing fees on iOS programmers, it would deter developers from building apps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and would hurt the ecosystem as a whole. Also, Apple takes 30 percent of each in-app sale, so it would lose money if Lodsys were to succeed.

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May 13

iMac frees you from the tyranny (and convenience) of servicing your own hard drives (update: not exactly a new problem)

Posted in: Apple, firmware, hard drive, HardDrive, imac, Today's Chili, upgrade
iMac 2011
Letting Apple control most facets of your computing experience is just a fact of life for the Mac faithful, but if you want to swap out the hard drive for a bigger or faster one with the most recent iMac refresh, well, you have somewhat limited options. Rather than a 4-wire SATA configuration Apple uses a 7-wire configuration that keeps you from hooking up just any old hard drive, lest a temperature sensor go batty and your system refuse to cooperate. There are ways around it, but your warranty may not apply afterward…

Update: We’ve revised this post to clarify that this isn’t exactly a new issue. The same problem existed in previous revisions, but the big issue now is that the separate thermal cable has been integrated into the SATA cable. It’s similar to what was done before, just a little harder to get around now. But, you can get around it.

Update 2: Hardmac has a detailed analysis of the situation which we’d recommend you check out. It verifies OWC’s findings, and recommends you short pins 2 and 7 to basically circumvent the issue. Why does Apple do this? The separate temperature monitor enables OS X to more regularly check the temperature of the system’s drives without compromising overall bandwidth provided by SATA.


[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iMac frees you from the tyranny (and convenience) of servicing your own hard drives (update: not exactly a new problem) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 13

Engadget app for iPhone and iPod touch updated to 2.2.0, get it now!

Posted in: app, Apple, engadget, ios, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili, twitter, update, windows phone, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone, WindowsPhone7

Hey there fellow iOS users, just thought we’d let you know that the Engadget app for iPhone and iPod touch has now been updated to version 2.2. What’s new, you ask? Well, on top of a stash of performance tweaks, there’s now a handy landscape viewing mode along with much improved sharing features; or if you prefer saving the goodies for yourself, then you’ll also like our new “save for later” options for Evernote, Instapaper, and Read It Later. Head over to the App Store to nab the fresh update now.

Oh, don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten our buddies on the Windows Phone boat. We can assure you that our devs are hard at work at cooking up an Engadget app for Windows Phone 7 just as we speak, so stay tuned for an announcement soon.

Engadget app for iPhone and iPod touch updated to 2.2.0, get it now! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 13

Apple patent application shows keyboard that doesn’t require contact, blows air

Posted in: Apple, imac, macbook, macbook air, MacbookAir, patent, patent application, PatentApplication, patents, Today's Chili

We’ve been generally satisfied with the chiclet-style keyboards that have become omnipresent in laptops and Apple’s latest generation of desktop keyboards, but Cupertino feels that these thinner, lower-profile input devices limit tactile feedback. A patent application from Apple, filed in 2009 but only now revealed, aims to improve the user experience by “expelling air from the input device proximate the key when user selection is imminent.” That’s right — your keyboard could blow on your fingertips as you blow our minds in the comments. Another solution in the patent would function like a vacuum to pull keys away when a proximity sensor detects that you’re about to type, providing simulated feedback. If this concept takes off in the future, your next MacBook Air could really live up to its name.

Apple patent application shows keyboard that doesn’t require contact, blows air originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 13

ITC judge rules against Apple in patent infringement case, Kodak smiles

Posted in: Apple, digital camera, DigitalCamera, Law, lawsuit, patent, Today's Chili

The International Trade Commission has weighed in on one half of the ongoing Apple-Kodak legal saga, ruling in favor of the team from Rochester. In a decision handed down yesterday, ITC Judge Robert Rogers determined that Apple’s allegations of patent infringement are unfounded, adding that one of the company’s patents is invalid. At issue are two digital camera technologies owned by Apple. One allows a camera to process multiple photos at the same time, while the other enables users to simultaneously adjust an image’s balance, color and resolution. Apple claimed that Kodak illegally used these mechanisms in its Z-series, M-series, C-series, and Slice cameras, in addition to some video cameras. Judge Rogers clearly disagreed, though he won’t be able to publicly explain his reasoning until both sides have had enough time to review confidential documents. Rogers’ decision will also be subject to review by the full ITC, which is expected to issue a yea or nay on September 19th. A Kodak spokesman said the company is understandably “pleased” by the decision, but it won’t have much time to rest on its laurels. On May 23rd, the ITC will announce a decision in a patent lawsuit that Kodak filed against both Apple and RIM, way back in January 2010. Stay tuned.

ITC judge rules against Apple in patent infringement case, Kodak smiles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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