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New 50Cent video features new iPod

  • August 6, 2003
  • iPod

The new 50Cent video P.I.M.P. features the new 3G iPod. Looks like the iPod is the new pimp accessory. Bling Bling. Let’s start Pimpin’ now ...where is ma furry hat and ma Gin????

6 comments.

Creative CEO says Zen NX “better looking” than iPod

  • August 6, 2003
  • iPod

At a press briefing, Creative’s CEO, Sim Wong Hoo said the Nomad Zen NX is “better looking” than the iPod. Am I the only one here who thinks that they copied the iPod’s design?

“Unveiling the company’s new strategy yesterday at a briefing on its financial results, Mr Sim said it has successfully made inroads into the PDE market with its Nomad line of MP3 players.

Holding up one of its latest models - the Nomad Jukebox Zen - he proudly declared the slim, silver aluminium pocket-sized device was ‘better looking’ than rival Apple Computer’s pert but pricier iPod.”

73 comments.

Shortage of iPods in Australia

  • August 3, 2003
  • iPod

PC World Australia reports:

“Shoppers wanting to get their hands on the new iPod are turning to internet auction sites like ebay as Apple’s Australian stores are dogged by supply problems.

‘We’ve been flabberghasted by demand,’ Apple marketing manager, Arno Lenior, said.”

11 comments.

Toronto Star: Muzak to our ears

  • August 2, 2003
  • iPod

“Activaire, a New York-based company that provides mostly underground electronic music to high-end boutiques and galleries is at the forefront of what could be a muzak renaissance.

Companies like Activaire are using muzak — as in the background music that gets played in stores and malls — to build brand and identity, in co-ordination with other aspects of a store’s image, like its products and architecture. [...]

Once Activaire has selected a playlist, an iPod (Apple’s digital music player) full of songs is delivered to the client for $100 (U.S.) per month.”

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National Post: That new white magic

  • August 2, 2003
  • iPod
“It’s white, it’s expensive and it’s instantly habit forming. Beck uses it. So do Moby and Madonna. And Ozzie’s boy Jack. (Question: Did he take it to rehab?) It’s a shiny, sleek objet de désir whose users are just one big happily addicted family. No, it’s not cocaine or the Raelian movement: It’s Apple’s iPod, the much-fetishized music player that’s more life-altering than any drug. But how exactly does an impersonal gadget inspire such high fidelity in all who touch it?”

8 comments.

Next generation iPod does TiVo?

  • July 29, 2003
  • iPod

Michael Sippey of ‘stating the obvious’ weblog has posted an excerpt from a concept document proposing several new features to be added to next generation iPods.

“The iPod and Tivo share more than a few characteristics: they both enable the user to manage and experience entertainment content, they both are made possible by the ever-decreasing costs of local storage, and they both share a similar interface metaphor.  But to date we’ve missed out on an opportunity that Tivo takes advantage of brilliantly:  the ability to provide rotating promotional content and messaging as a component of the menuing system.”

Jason Kottke’s weblog, Kotte.org Undesign has posted a rebuttal to the concept proposals, and said, “If Apple is pushing me advertisements and marketing which I can’t opt out of and are draining *my* battery while I look at them and taking up *my* hard drive space, is my iPod really mine or is it Apple’s?”

8 comments.

Hack for removing volume cap on European iPods

  • July 28, 2003
  • iPod

Update: The page has been removed due to a cease and desist order from Apple.

A reader has posted information and a how-to for removing the volume cap on iPods sold in Europe. EU iPods have a volume cap due to health regulations, therefore having significantly lower decibels than U.S. versions. It’s been a sore spot for many EU iPod owners and has been discussed at length in our forums. (Disclaimer: iLounge is not responsible for anything that happens to your iPod after performing this hack. Hack at your own risk.)

27 comments.

iPod voted ‘Best Gadget’ in InfoWorld’s Reader Choice Awards

  • July 26, 2003
  • iPod

Macminute reports that InfoWorld has released its 2003 InfoWorld Readers Choice Awards results and the iPod took top spot as ‘Best Gadget’, sweeping the competiton with 40% of the votes.

“Pushing RIM’s Blackberry out of the way, Apple’s popular digital music player beat out last year’s Best Gadget in one of the this year’s biggest upsets.”

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‘iPod: The Missing Manual’ book released

  • July 25, 2003
  • iPod

O’Reilly and Associates has released a new book for iPods titled, ‘iPod: The Missing Manual.’ “In this book, New York Times tech columnist J. D. Biersdorfer blows open the secret doors of this gleaming, chrome-and-white beauty. With humor and authority, she lays bare an astonishing collection of useful tips, tricks, and shortcuts…” The book covers all Mac and Windows iPod models, iTunes, MusicMatch, iTunes Music Store and retails for $24.95.

8 comments.

Apple posts ‘Pods Unite’ video

  • July 18, 2003
  • iPod

Apple has posted a new web page featuring the new VW Beetle/iPod promotion, “Pods Unite” along with the television ad showcasing the new duo. The iPod deal will only last through the summer so Apple says, “get in touch with your Volkswagen dealer pronto.”

“It was inevitable, really. When two groups of people have so much in common, eventually they find each other. Volkswagen and Apple. Buy a New Beetle. Get a new iPod. And the kit that brings them together (plus a lot of other cool stuff like free music and a $100 Apple Store coupon).”

10 comments.

Apple Updates iPod FAQs

  • July 17, 2003
  • iPod

Apple has posted an updated version of its Knowledge Base document titled, “iPod: Frequently Asked Questions.” It’s definitely a must read for any iPod user.

8 comments.

Buyer Beware: iPod auctions on eBay

  • July 17, 2003
  • iPod

Brigid Alverson of the Melrose Free Press has written an article about John Cameron, a computer crimes detective in Melrose, Virginia who’s done everything from impersonating a 14-year-old girl online, capturing computer con artists, and stopping credit card fraud.

“Online auction fraud is the other crime that keeps Cameron busy. “Every department has a couple of cases they are working on,” he said. In one case, the winning bid for a new Apple iPod was $200, far less than the list price. The deal was too good to be true: The seller used a stolen credit card to buy the Ipod directly from Apple and had it shipped to the buyer, Cameron said. “It comes back as a stolen credit card, he walks away with $200 cash, and the credit-card company gets stiffed for the $400 or $500 dollars it costs for the iPod,” Cameron said.”

There is also an active thread in the forums about eBay auctions gone bad.

1 comment.

iPod Coming to Bose and Circuit City

  • July 15, 2003
  • iPod

“Apple® today announced that iPod(TM), its phenomenally popular portable digital music player, will be available in August at Bose and Circuit City retail locations nationwide, as well as CircuitCity.com. The third generation iPods, which hold up to 7,500 songs in a stunning enclosure that’s lighter and thinner than two CDs in their cases, will be sold in all Bose retail stores and Circuit City Superstores. [...]

Bose retail stores will carry the 15GB and 30GB iPod models, and Circuit City will offer all three iPod configurations—10GB, 15GB and 30GB. Consumers can call 1-800-444-BOSE or visit www.bose.com to find a Bose retail store near them, and call 1-800-THE-CITY or use the Store Locator at www.circuitcity.com to find their nearest Circuit City store.”

2 comments.

‘Pods Unite’ : VW & Apple Team Up in New Beetle

  • July 15, 2003
  • iPod

It’s exciting to see two companies that fit so well together acknowledging that harmony they enjoy. What interested me most was the mention of a “Volkswagen iPod connectivity kit.” Maybe VW is solving the problem of so many messy wires being needed to connect an iPod with decent sound. Here’s hoping it will be available for current VW/iPod owners.

“Volkswagen’s iPod connectivity kit completes the pairing, with the ability to create and remotely access a road-ready digital music library.  Together, the estimated retail value of the iPod and VW connectivity kit is about $600. [...]

Each New Beetle iPod is custom-engraved with Volkswagen’s “Drivers Wanted” logo and comes with a coupon for $100 off a purchase of $999 or more, from apple.com, Volkswagen’s exclusive Street Mix CD collection, a free e-book from audible.com, a VW Music-zine, and a “Pods Unite” window sticker.”

Editor’s note: We had first heard about a possible partnership in April 2002 in a report from one of our readers. But instead of the Jetta, it is the Beetle which is getting the special iPod connectivity kit.

7 comments.

Fossil Does iPod

  • July 14, 2003
  • iPod

Apple has updated its Pro section with a story about watchmaker, Fossil and how the in-house design team uses Apple products. In a sidebar story titled ‘iPod Does Booth Duty’, Tim Hale, Fossil’s Senior VP tells how he and his workers use iPod to play music at trade show booths and manage their to-do list.

“‘I use a 10G iPod to run the music,’ explains Hale. ‘We plug it into the house system in the booth and let it play. Because it was on iPod instead of a CD, we get eight hours of music or more. Next year, music trends will change and we can go back and recustomize it. This allows for a large amount of flexibility in an in-house environment where you want to control that experience.’”

Source: MacMinute

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Wired: Give the DJs What They Want

  • July 12, 2003
  • iPod

For all the DJs out there… wouldn’t it be nice to have pitch control on your iPod for mixing live sets? Wired magazine (August 2003) reports that Apple invited world famous DJ, Ritchie Hawtin to perform at the opening of the Soho NY store, but Hawtin’s mixes were ‘choppy’ due to the lack of pitch control on the dualing iPods.

“At Hawtin’s SoHo appearance - and at some sets by other DJs at Apple’s 53 retail outlets - rumors circulated that he might get his wish. Don’t trade in your needles yet, though. ‘We can’t confirm that pitch control will be a feature,’ says an Apple spokesperson. ‘But DJs are a constituency we’re interested in reaching.’”

17 comments.

John Mayer says iPod ‘instrumental’ for song writing

  • July 10, 2003
  • iPod

Launch Yahoo reports musician John Mayer praises his iPod for helping him write songs for his new, upcoming album.

“He tells LAUNCH Apple’s iPod has been instrumental in his writing. “I have the Apple iPod, it’s great. Because I can burn my demos and put them into the iPod and then listen to them as I’m driving, or as am going to a radio station, and just really just have time to sit in it and think about it,” Mayer said.”

4 comments.

iPod DJ saves the day

  • July 10, 2003
  • iPod

Below is a copy of my letter printed in MacUser Magazine (UK) dated 11 July 2003:

Last week a friend was having his 40th birthday party. As he was born in 1963, a Sixties theme was decided. You know: Sixties dress, music, food, psychedelic drugs and so on (well maybe not the drugs).

Additional details and 6 comments.

The Sun: 600 albums in ‘cig packet’

  • July 10, 2003
  • iPod

Dominic Mohan has written a general article about iPod culture.

“The iPod’s distinctive white headphones are a sign that you’re part of the cult — owners have been known to acknowledge one another when they spot the trademark earpieces although, in my iBook, that’s taking things a little too far.”

10 comments.

The Best of the Web for iPod Users

Gregory Ng of AppleMatters takes a look at the best of the web for iPod users.

“Have an iPod? Check. Have a Mac with iTunes? Check. Use the iTunes Music Store? Check. Now what do you do? The following is a list of websites that are a must-see and a must-use for every iPod wielding, Apple loving, music fan…”

Editor’s Note: Thanks for mentioning iLounge at the top of your list!
 

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