Apple tablet may get iTunes LP, cloud locker
With Apple's tablet unveiling just a week away, more rumors are bubbling to the surface regarding the mythical product's capabilities as an eReader and all-around life changer.Both personally and professionally, I'm most intrigued to figure out what the Apple tablet will deliver in terms of music and media playback. Will it run a full version of iTunes, or act more like an iPod or iPhone as an extension of your personal media collection?We aren't going to know the concrete details for sure until next week, but the rumor mill is at least getting some good speculative grist.First up, we have a rumor from Electronista and Digital Music News pointing to iTunes LP support on the tablet. Currently, the interactive LP format Apple launched last September can only be viewed through your computer, and is not supported by mobile products such as the iPhone and iPod Touch. I think the iTunes LP has been a misfit format on the computer, and I'm glad to hear that it might break out of the box. As a fan of vinyl LPs, a big part of my retro obsession is being able to hold and appreciate the album artwork from the comfort of my living room chair. Sitting in front of a computer and pointing and clicking around iTunes just doesn't offer the same relationship with the media. Now, whether or not people care about albums anymore still remains to be seen. But if iTunes LPs do make it onto the tablet, I expect that will spur more interest in the format for both consumers and record labels. The Apple tablet will undoubtedly be the "show-off" product of 2010, and users will find it hard to resist downloading at least a few iTunes LPs just for thethrill of impressing friends.The second important tablet rumor music fans should be aware of comes from a TechCrunch interview with Michael Robertson, CEO of the music locker site MP3tunes. Michael seems certain that Apple is working on an iTunes update that will take advantage of the music-upload and fingerprint technology from Apple's recent acquisition, Lala. Like Lala's own music-scanning tool, the new iTunes feature would examine your music collection, upload any material it doesn't already have in its vast library, and give you the capability to stream your music from Apple's servers to any of your iTunes compatible wireless devices. What the TechCrunch article doesn't point out is the unlikelihood that Apple would provide this iTunes cloud service free of charge. It makes more sense that this would get rolled out as a feature of Apple's existing MobileMe service. At $99 a year, MobileMe doesn't come cheap. But if the service promised music fans the ability to have a central, cloud-based back-up of all their music files, plus the ability to stream everything to their iPhone, iPod Touche, tablet, PC, or Mac, then it could solve some very real issues for people. For example, a cloud-based iTunes music library solves the problem of storage, especially for users with music collections that run in the hundreds of gigabytes. Even users with modest music libraries may be able to leverage the MobileMe service to offload music playback to the cloud, and get by with a lower-cost, lower-capacity iPhone (8GB), thus expanding the appeal of the iPhone and seemingly lowering the cost of entry.It could also solve the problem of the scattered music collections most users have between the multiple computers in their lives, by automatically linking them all to a master collection, or perhaps syncing media across computers via the cloud. Considering that many iTunes users are already at a breaking point when it comes to syncing media across their iPods and iPhones, it makes sense that Apple would want to address the problem before throwing a completely new type of device (a tablet) into the mix.
Meta's Space Glasses apps- No code, but ideas
Meta's Space Glasses apps: No code, but ideas
Hackathons are a great way to drum up interest and get some exposure for a new or existing platform. TechCrunch held a hackathon over the weekend with more than 264 entrants coding over a 24-hour period. But if your hardware prototypes and software development kit aren't available, there isn't much to hack. Startup Meta, which is developing Space Glasses that combine the power of a laptop and smartphone in spectacles that map virtual objects into the physical world, is trying to overcome the lack of hardware and software problem to hack as it develops its new platform. The company has launched an online app store with nothing to sell, but it is fronting a contest for the best app ideas and allowing people to rank them. "Take the social site Reddit and add it to iTunes, and you get the Space Glasses apps," said Meta spokesperson Matt Kitchales. Meta plans to get code for its apps by shipping prototype hardware and a software development kit to 250 Kickstarter funders at the end of this month and to 750 more developers who have expressed interest in the platform in January 2014. Meta is also developing apps, and plans to have 15 available later this month with the release of its glasses prototype. In addition, the company is working with a few external partners to create apps, includingGamedraw, a 3D sculpting app from MXDTech.So far, 300 app ideas have been submitted, the company said. "When the glasses are shipped, the apps with the most votes will be on the front page of the app store," Kitchales said.The No. 1 app idea so far is "Emergency Medical Technician/Military Medic Application for emergency and war zone first responders."With the use of marker points placed at key locations on a patient's body, the glass' camera system and the Internet, the first responder can immediately relay crucial information to a standard or mobile hospital unit. The placement of marker points can assist with offsite emergency surgery, tourniquet placement, pressure points, injury data collection, pulse, as well as post-op care, and directions with map for evacuation. In short, a guiding hand in a moment when your surroundings could be unsafe or even hostile. Some of the other submissions are more conventional, such as gaming apps, including an "augmented reality app that simulates the blade of a light saber in your hands [that] would allow you to battle your friends or slay invisible foes." Meta doesn't have much code yet, but it hopes to have more than just text for its idea entries. The company has hired a designer to help would-be developers create sketches and images to fill out their product ideas. Meta expects to have stylish, lightweight Space Glasses available to consumers by the end of September 2014. By that time, some of the developer ideas in the Meta app store could be turned into running code. In the meantime, Meta is busy raising money to fund its vision of wearable computing that replaces the physical smartphone. Correction: This story was edited to correct the timing for the availability of Meta's 15 apps and the company's collaboration with a few external developers.
Hackathons are a great way to drum up interest and get some exposure for a new or existing platform. TechCrunch held a hackathon over the weekend with more than 264 entrants coding over a 24-hour period. But if your hardware prototypes and software development kit aren't available, there isn't much to hack. Startup Meta, which is developing Space Glasses that combine the power of a laptop and smartphone in spectacles that map virtual objects into the physical world, is trying to overcome the lack of hardware and software problem to hack as it develops its new platform. The company has launched an online app store with nothing to sell, but it is fronting a contest for the best app ideas and allowing people to rank them. "Take the social site Reddit and add it to iTunes, and you get the Space Glasses apps," said Meta spokesperson Matt Kitchales. Meta plans to get code for its apps by shipping prototype hardware and a software development kit to 250 Kickstarter funders at the end of this month and to 750 more developers who have expressed interest in the platform in January 2014. Meta is also developing apps, and plans to have 15 available later this month with the release of its glasses prototype. In addition, the company is working with a few external partners to create apps, includingGamedraw, a 3D sculpting app from MXDTech.So far, 300 app ideas have been submitted, the company said. "When the glasses are shipped, the apps with the most votes will be on the front page of the app store," Kitchales said.The No. 1 app idea so far is "Emergency Medical Technician/Military Medic Application for emergency and war zone first responders."With the use of marker points placed at key locations on a patient's body, the glass' camera system and the Internet, the first responder can immediately relay crucial information to a standard or mobile hospital unit. The placement of marker points can assist with offsite emergency surgery, tourniquet placement, pressure points, injury data collection, pulse, as well as post-op care, and directions with map for evacuation. In short, a guiding hand in a moment when your surroundings could be unsafe or even hostile. Some of the other submissions are more conventional, such as gaming apps, including an "augmented reality app that simulates the blade of a light saber in your hands [that] would allow you to battle your friends or slay invisible foes." Meta doesn't have much code yet, but it hopes to have more than just text for its idea entries. The company has hired a designer to help would-be developers create sketches and images to fill out their product ideas. Meta expects to have stylish, lightweight Space Glasses available to consumers by the end of September 2014. By that time, some of the developer ideas in the Meta app store could be turned into running code. In the meantime, Meta is busy raising money to fund its vision of wearable computing that replaces the physical smartphone. Correction: This story was edited to correct the timing for the availability of Meta's 15 apps and the company's collaboration with a few external developers.
Apple's proposed Web radio service is no certainty
Apple's proposed Web radio service is no certainty
Apple is working hard to convince the major record companies to buy into its plan for a Web radio service, but some at the labels don't like what they're hearing. Bloombergreported this afternoon that Apple's negotiations with the three top labels have "intensified" over an ad-support Web radio service that Apple hopes to launch early next year. But music industry executives who spoke with CNET said that some decision makers at the big record companies want Apple to sweeten the offer. Related storiesDialed in 110: Lessons for Android (podcast)The 404 Podcast 498: Where Jeff battles the TriadBuzz Out Loud Podcast 1145: China to Google: Suck itNutsie brings iTunes to Android via the cloudThe Real Deal 193: Road Test - CES edition (podcast)The negotiations are ongoing so the terms could change, but the sources said Apple has offered to pay a lower royalty rate than Pandora pays even though it wants to provide iTunes users with the ability to do more with the music than Pandora's customers enjoy. Pandora, the leading Internet radio service, pays a statutory rate set by Congress. Under the terms of this rate, Pandora must limit the way users interact with songs, such as capping the number of times they can listen to the same song or an individual artist. In exchange for this greater flexibility with songs, Apple is offering a percentage of the ad sales generated by the service. CNET's sources say that some of the sector's leaders don't believe the cut Apple put on the table is big enough. Others in the music industry, however, argue it's good for the overall business if Apple takes on Pandora. Pandora has become a behemoth in Internet radio and the labels favor seeing multiple competitors in each of its distribution categories. One source said iTunes' can easily market a Web radio service to its humongous audience and the company can also figure out the best way to use iRadio, the unofficial name given to the service by those in the music industry, to boost download sales, which are flat.Apple owns 64 percent of the legal music market and in addition to the leverage this kind of market share provides Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, the top labels must also consider what happens if Apple is prevented from getting a deal. Some music industry insiders speculate that Apple could conceivably throw in with Pandora and help get the Internet Fairness Radio Act passed. That's the name of legislation introduced into Congress this year that seeks to reduce the royalty rates Web radio services must pay for music. The sources said that to date, Apple has not made any threats of joining forces with Pandora. The big record companies are planning to fight tooth and nail against the bill becoming law. CNET has learned that the top record companies plan to quietly gather next week to discuss their strategy for fighting the legislation. In addition to the representatives from the top three labels, invitations were sent this week to some of the music industry's top music managers.
Apple is working hard to convince the major record companies to buy into its plan for a Web radio service, but some at the labels don't like what they're hearing. Bloombergreported this afternoon that Apple's negotiations with the three top labels have "intensified" over an ad-support Web radio service that Apple hopes to launch early next year. But music industry executives who spoke with CNET said that some decision makers at the big record companies want Apple to sweeten the offer. Related storiesDialed in 110: Lessons for Android (podcast)The 404 Podcast 498: Where Jeff battles the TriadBuzz Out Loud Podcast 1145: China to Google: Suck itNutsie brings iTunes to Android via the cloudThe Real Deal 193: Road Test - CES edition (podcast)The negotiations are ongoing so the terms could change, but the sources said Apple has offered to pay a lower royalty rate than Pandora pays even though it wants to provide iTunes users with the ability to do more with the music than Pandora's customers enjoy. Pandora, the leading Internet radio service, pays a statutory rate set by Congress. Under the terms of this rate, Pandora must limit the way users interact with songs, such as capping the number of times they can listen to the same song or an individual artist. In exchange for this greater flexibility with songs, Apple is offering a percentage of the ad sales generated by the service. CNET's sources say that some of the sector's leaders don't believe the cut Apple put on the table is big enough. Others in the music industry, however, argue it's good for the overall business if Apple takes on Pandora. Pandora has become a behemoth in Internet radio and the labels favor seeing multiple competitors in each of its distribution categories. One source said iTunes' can easily market a Web radio service to its humongous audience and the company can also figure out the best way to use iRadio, the unofficial name given to the service by those in the music industry, to boost download sales, which are flat.Apple owns 64 percent of the legal music market and in addition to the leverage this kind of market share provides Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, the top labels must also consider what happens if Apple is prevented from getting a deal. Some music industry insiders speculate that Apple could conceivably throw in with Pandora and help get the Internet Fairness Radio Act passed. That's the name of legislation introduced into Congress this year that seeks to reduce the royalty rates Web radio services must pay for music. The sources said that to date, Apple has not made any threats of joining forces with Pandora. The big record companies are planning to fight tooth and nail against the bill becoming law. CNET has learned that the top record companies plan to quietly gather next week to discuss their strategy for fighting the legislation. In addition to the representatives from the top three labels, invitations were sent this week to some of the music industry's top music managers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)