While it's pretty hard to get a leg-up in a music industry that's already saturated by mega-corporations, Rhapsody has done a fine job of keeping up. And now, there's a deal out there that'll surely have MetroPCS fans thinking twice before spending another dollar on iTunes or Spotify. The two have partnered to...Read more...
If you were one of the lucky people who wanted to try the new "Genius" feature of iTunes 8, and had an HP USB printer driver installed and said printer connection --- or perhaps a few other drivers --- you might have experienced the (yes, it's still part of Windows) tried and true BSOD when you plugged in your iPod.The BSOD was happening in...Read more...
Tuesdays are typically the day the Apple reserves to make big announcements, and today was such a day for Apple. Steve Jobs took to the stage Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco to announce a number of new iPod-related products and new iTunes features. Apple billed the press event as "Let's Rock." Here's what's new: iTunes will start offering...Read more...
People close to the situation have been reporting that HBO content could finally be making its way to iTunes:“The HBO insiders said that the new service would be launched and announced simultaneously, most likely in a week or two.Details of the agreement are not yet known, but it is clear that HBO was able to secure better terms from Apple...Read more...
After a public spat concerning pricing caused Apple and NBC Universal to part ways last year, it seems that NBC might be returning to the fold. At this time only customers in the U.K. have access to the restored content, but there is a little surprise waiting for eager fans: “Early visits to the restored content, however, reveal that NBC...Read more...
Apple recently came to an agreement with a group of film studios including the 6 largest that would enable the Cupertino firm to release movies via iTunes the same day that they are available on DVD. The problem is that Apple might actually be taking a loss on them for the short term:“Apple said that starting this week, iTunes customers...Read more...
Apple just made it that much easier to watch movies without leaving your house:"Apple® today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com) on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available...Read more...
At the Ad:Tech conference in San Francisco this week George Kliavkoff, Chief Digital Officer at NBC Universal, discussed their interest in returning to digital distribution via 3rd parties. They didn’t name any names, but it seems clear that they were talking about Apple because they already distribute digitally and via third parties,...Read more...
Many have written about how Apple was using iTunes Update to push Safari onto PCs. It was listing Safari as an update even if Safari wasn't on the computer originally. Humorously, since then stories have emerged about IT departments having to scramble to remove Safari as the default browser on PCs as it (naturally) wouldn't work with many...Read more...
A copy of an internal Apple email to employees indicates that iTunes has surpassed Wal-Mart as the #1 music retailer. Or has it?The news was announced in an e-mail sent this afternoon to some Apple employees, a copy of which was seen by Ars Technica. It includes a screenshot of an Excel file showing the top ten music retailers in the...Read more...
Apple has been trying to add content to the iTunes Movie and TV store in an attempt to push the Apple TV and iTunes in general. The latest content to be added are from Starz and Manga, but sadly these seem somewhat limited compared to the complete Starz and Manga libraries:“The first offerings from Starz include two half-hour sitcoms,...Read more...
Sorry, Beatles fans: two sources are throwing cold water on rumors that Paul McCartney has sold the rights to the Beatles back catalog to iTunes.Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the joint venture owned by Sony and singer Michael Jackson, has thrown cold water on newspaper stories out of London that The Beatles catalog would soon be available on...Read more...
If nothing else, it appears that the contentious divorce between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills has led to one good result - well, not for either of them, but for music fans. McCartney has authorized the release of the Beatles' back catalog on iTunes in a deal that is valued at $400 million.The deal has been much delayed. But industry insiders...Read more...
Despite Apple's promise of 1000 movies available for rental by the end of January, iTunes has less than half of that available in the start of March. The good news is that of the 384 available movies 91 of those are supposedly high-definition. The bad news? Not all of those 91 titles would really measure up to what most would...Read more...
iTunes recently overtook BestBuy to be the nation's #2 retailer of music. If the sales trends continue, it's only a matter of time until Walmart is toppled.“The latest sales figures, which holds every 12 songs downloaded as the equivalent of an entire CD, is not just a win for Apple, but also proves that the entire paid digital music...Read more...
We'll save a lot of time if we stop arguing over whether copyright infringement is stealing. It's possible, so it's going to happen. Some of the record companies are tired of playing whack-a mole with file-sharers and have agreed to participate in a free peer to peer network, supported by advertising, that promises 25 million available songs,...Read more...
As with all rumors, please take the following news item with a grain of salt until we can receive official confirmation or denial from Apple or NBC Universal.NBC and Apple parted ways after negotiations broke down between the two companies last year over an alleged pricing dispute. NBC has since explored numerous distribution options,...Read more...
Gizmodo thought they had come up with a way to fool iTunes into giving them an extended video rental. They tried mucking with the system clock when downloading the video. Oops, they were wrong.Alright so it appears to no longer work. Here's what happened on our end. Before, we had set our computer date to 2009, and started playing...Read more...
Apple has been on the hotseat in Europe because of different pricing between the U.K. store and the rest of Europe. Today, it announced changes, but it also gave U.K. music labels a warning.Apple today announced that within six months it will lower the prices it charges for music on its UK iTunes Store to match the already standardized...Read more...
When NBC Universal said it would not renew its deal with iTunes, Apple upped the ante by saying it would not sell any NBC shows once the new season started, so as not to "confuse" customers. Apple said this wouldn't happen, but iTunes is selling NBC's shows for the upcoming season. Listed at iTunes on Wednesday were episodes...Read more...
The recent feud between Apple and NBC Universal had it all: accusations, frustrated customers, threats, and even a new download service from NBC Universal. While it is fairly clear what customers think of the drama where do other broadcasters stand?We reported earlier that FOX is either content or playing their cards really close to their...Read more...
As the launch of Apple and Starbucks' partnership nears (October 2nd) Starbucks has announced a promotion running from October 2nd to November 7th, in which customers at participating locations can download the "Song of the Day" (selected by Starbucks, naturally), free from iTunes.From Oct. 2 to Nov. 7, baristas in the company's more than...Read more...