Have Laptop Will Travel

Apple Confirms 802.11n Download Fee

Originally posted on January 19, 2007 @ 9:59 am

Apple Inc. confirmed this morning that it will charge Mac users a small fee to switch on faster and longer-range wireless technology already tucked into their machines.

The company will charge customers $1.99 to download software that will enable 802.11n wireless functionality in the chipsets of most of its Intel Core 2 Duo- and Xeon-based computers.

Last week, when Apple announced its new AirPort Extreme wireless base station, it said the software would be included with the $179.00 USD device.

According to Apple spokesperson Teresa Brewer:

For those customers who wish to enable their 802.11n functionality but do not wish to buy a new Airport Extreme base station, we are making the software available for download from the Apple Online Store.

The enabling software will be posted to the Apple site for download when AirPort Extreme ships in early February 2007.

Teresa Brewer also said “Eventually the 802.11n software will be included with all new Macs that contain the appropriate hardware.”

To keep up-to-date on all things Apple, check out their press release page.

Apple’s Steve Jobs Calls For DRM-Free Music

Originally posted on February 6, 2007 @ 3:45 pm

Steve Jobs posted a letter on Apple’s Web site today supporting the online sale of music without copyright protection software, saying DRM systems have failed to halt music piracy.

In the letter entitled “Thoughts On Music,” Steve Jobs blamed major record labels for the proliferation of digital rights management systems.

Without offering them DRM protection, an online music store would not be able to get a license to distribute tunes from the likes of Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI, which together distribute more than 70% of the world’s music, Jobs said.

By throwing Apple’s support behind DRM critics, Jobs is adding the weight of the owner of the largest online music store on the Web and the leader in the digital music player market.

Did you know that the Apple iPod accounts for more than three quarters of the players sold worldwide? Yeah, Apple has one huge chunk of music market share.

Jobs said the industry had three choices:

  1. Choose to continue with the current system where each of the major online store owners and manufacturers of players, Sony, Microsoft and Apple, have their own DRM that tie their music to their hardware.
  2. The companies could license their copyright protection systems to each other.
  3. Abolish Digital Rights Management entirely.

“This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat,” Jobs said.

“If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store. Every iPod ever made will play this DRM-free music.”

Of course, rival players would in theory also be able to play iTunes music and vice versa, which would bring dramatic changes to the online market.

Rather than buy music and a player from one vendor, people could buy music anywhere on the Web for any player.

Be sure to check out Steve Jobs Thoughts on Music. It’s a worth while read for sure.

Wal-Mart Moves Into Video Downloading

Originally posted on February 10, 2007 @ 9:29 am

Wal-Mart has entered the video download business, joining the likes of Apple, Amazon and Netflix.

The product, in beta, allows consumers to choose from more than 3,000 movie and television titles and download them to personal computers usually at a cost less than that of iTunes, the Apple Inc. online store that began selling video downloads more than a year ago.

Wal-Mart would really wow audiences if it offered what it’s known for: lower prices, giving customers a good reason to try downloads.

The movie download business got even more competitive on Tuesday February 6, 2007 when Amazon.com said its service, Unbox, has teamed with TiVo Inc. so that downloaded movies can be viewed on TV screens.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Internet video download business is expected to be worth $3.7 billion in annual revenue in 2010, when DVD rentals and sales as a business will amount to about $29.5 billion.

While Amazon.com launched Unbox without movies from the Walt Disney Company and iTunes offers only movies from Disney and Paramount, Wal-Mart boasts:

They also offers TV shows from Fox, Fox Reality, 20th Century Fox Television Classics, Comedy Central, VH1, MTV, Nickelodeon, the CW, Warner Bros. and more. Wal-Mart initially will not offer shows from ABC, CBS or NBC.

Wal-Mart is selling TV episodes for $1.96 and movies, depending on how new they are, at price points ranging from $7.50 to $19.88.

Looking at the licensing agreements that Wal-Mart currently has in place, it looks like they could dominate the internet video download market.

Only time will tell.

Waterproof, Interactive, iPod Protection

Originally posted on June 7, 2006 @ 8:09 am

DrypodHey Apple iPod fans, I found a pretty geektastic case for your iPod that offers waterproof protection. That’s right, you can go swimming, run around in the rain, jump into a lake, whatever you want and never miss a beat thanks to this new iPod case from SKB Cases out of Orange, California.

SKB Cases introduces the Drypod family of protective, interactive hardshell waterproof cases for the iPod Nano, iPod with Color Display, and iPod with Video. Wear the Drypod on the waves, in the rain or down the mountain while you’re staying in control of every audio function. The seamless “flex-pad” technology allows for the manipulation of the iPod click wheel right through the case.

A compression fitting completes the watertight seal for the headphone. The Drypod includes a flexible neoprene arm band, comfort-adjust lanyard and stainless steel belt clip. SKB waterproof injection molded cases have been a huge success over the past few years finally leading to the smallest product SKB has ever manufactured. Small in size, buy gigantic in performance, the Drypod line of personal A/V gear protection represents another breakthrough in product design and functionality.

Some people are probably thinking, “yeah right, I’m not taking my iPod in the water”, well the Drypod was certified by an independant testing lab to meet the Military Specification MIL-STD-810F Immersion test. Don’t believe me? Check out the Lab Report (Adobe PDF) or visit the Drypod Lab Test page.