Apple

Many consider Apple to be a leading innovator, so finding out what's next on the company's plate can be quite salivating. Today, one user got a taste when an iTunes glitch revealed that renting movies may be next on the horizon. "I was trying to ... report a problem via iTunes, and this pop-up for selecting a reason contains some interesting/revealing strings," said David Watanabe, the user who discovered the glitch. "[It] looks like 'RentalMovies' will be coming to the iTunes store." When Watanabe was trying to notify the iTunes Store of his quandary, he was confronted with a menu of options on ... (view more)

Apple is reportedly considering cutting its prices for television episodes in half, from $1.99 to $0.99 -- the same price it currently charges for music singles. The price-slashing is part of Apple's plan to increase digital video sales. The company ... believes that the increase in volume will more than double, leaving profits positively affected even after the price cut. (Source: appleinsider.com ) But not everyone is seeing the price reduction with rose-colored glasses. Television studios worry that cutting the price of TV downloads will negatively impact DVD sales. Currently, a season of a ... (view more)

When Apple's invitations for an upcoming special event were sent out last week, a buzz about the possible release of new iPods began almost immediately. Now that Apple's event has come and gone, it is safe to say that the company did not disappoint ... -- in fact, they left much to be excited about. At the media event on Wednesday, CEO Steve Jobs announced some minor changes to the iPod classic and the iPod shuffle, but the big news came from the iPod nano and the new iPod touch. The new nano has been dubbed the "fat" iPod nano. The modified device includes a 2 inch 320x240 LCD screen, with a ... (view more)

In an effort to lure thousands of music fans away from Apple, RealNetworks has teamed with MTV Networks and Verizon Wireless to offer a digital music joint venture expected to rival iTunes, the iPod and even the new iPhone. The three companies plan ... to implement their technological takeover by making the MTV "Urge" music downloading service compatible with RealNetworks Rhapsody streaming software programs. While the merger will be made available to all U.S. customers via their PC music players, Verizon Wireless' VCast multimedia service will also be equipped with the new music system on their ... (view more)

Okay, so Apple isn't always on the cutting edge. Sometimes they go back to the fundamentals for financial inspiration, even if basic economics suggest otherwise. That appears to be the case with CEO Steve Jobs' recent unveiling of Apple's redesigned ... iMac, the desktop computer and device many credit for the company's comeback. Released long before the iPod or iPhone, many tech consumers will remember the late '90s iMac's simple design graced by bright colors uncharacteristic of the market or even industry. Today's new iMac boasts a much slimmer design than those rollie-pollie old iMacs of the ... (view more)

It seems we'll all be celebrating the one year anniversary of Windows Vista by the time Microsoft releases the Mac version of Office. It seems the Redmond-based company has decided to push back Mac Office 2008's release, now appropriately set for ... mid-January next year. It's already the second major delay for the software. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Mac edition of Office was nowhere near ready. According to development group General Manager Craig Eisler, "It was clear from our June and July quality checkpoints that no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't release our product in time ... (view more)

The Copyright Board of Canada has given the OK to a tax being placed on iPods and other removable storage memory cards that could be used for private copying. The approval comes despite strong oppositions from both the Canadian Storage Media ... Alliance and the Retail Council of Canada. Kim Furlong, Director of Federal Government Relations with the Retail Council, said that the tax is a dangerous approach. "It's like going into Best Buy and learning the computer is a hundred dollars more just because the government thinks you might download music. It's effectively a hidden tax," she said. ... (view more)

When consumers think of portable media devices made by a company whose name starts with 'A', "Archos" might not come to mind. Despite manufacturing some of the first MP3 players available to the public, their products continue to be overshadowed by ... the increasingly popular iPod. Archos is only now realizing that to stay afloat of the market they helped to pioneer, they must come up with products that can match any device produced by Apple. Archos may have found the answer to their prayers in the 605 WiFi media player. The Archos 605 WiFi is a medium capacity touch screen multimedia player ... (view more)

Apple's website refers to Safari as "the fastest, easiest-to-use web browser in the world." Steve Jobs added to those lofty claims by calling Safari "the most innovative browser in the world and the most powerful browser in the world" during his ... keynote speech for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. Unfortunately for curious Windows users, the browser has always been limited to Apple's own platforms. That is, until now. Apple has just released its Safari 3 Beta to the world and this time, Windows is included! (Sources: apple.com ) Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, ... (view more)

Some tech critics believe Apple TV will be nothing less than a flop. How bad could it be? Recent reports suggest it might hurt the company behind the device more than they ever imagined. The components and materials to make Apple TV cost $237 ... apiece. Apple is selling the product for $299, leaving a gross profit of only $62, or about 20 percent. And that's before marketing costs. (Source: theinquirer.net ) The razor thin profit margin is especially uncharacteristic for Apple, which is used to gross margins above 50% for products outside its computer line. The iPod has proven to be a high ... (view more)