Chad's News

Buying music from the iTunes Store has taken a turn for the better. First, all songs will be DRM-free. Existing libraries can be upgraded for 30¢ per song. The music files will still be in Apple’s AAC format but can be converted to MP3 by right-clicking on the song in iTunes. Second, there’s a new pricing system, with three price points: 69¢, 99¢, and $1.29. I’m assuming that popular new releases will be the highest, while older, library songs will be the lowest. The majority of songs are DRM-free right now, with the remainder switching over by the end of March. The new pricing scheme will take effect in April.

Link: http://www.apple.com/…
(via Lifehacker)

Chad’s News has previously discussed the iPhone’s inability to display web pages that use Adobe Flash. Even though Apple’s products are overpriced, I usually recommend them because of superior user interfaces and stability—but this is one decision with which I disagree. Especially since one-third of all web pages use Flash. And Apple’s competitors are taking up the slack. According to the first linked article, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile and Google’s Android will both support Flash. The second linked article is an opinion piece on why Apple will never allow Flash on the iPhone. Of note is this: “Allowing Flash … would just be too dangerous for Apple, a company that enjoys exerting total dominance over its hardware and the software that runs on it.”

Link #1: http://www.mobilecrunch.com/…
(via Lifehacker)

Link #2: http://blog.wired.com/…
(via digg)

Windows Vista users may want to hold off before updating to iTunes version 8. For some users, it’s crashing their systems whenever they plug in an iPod. See the linked article for details.

Link: http://www.computerworld.com/…
(via Kim Komando)

Update: If you are experiencing this problem, here’s how to fix it.

An iPhone commercial has been banned in England because it falsely claims that “all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone”. The problem is that the iPhone can’t handle pages with Flash or Java, which make up a non-trivial percentage of the ‘net.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/…

Apple has a store that sells applications for the iPhone. Anyone can submit an app, and once it’s officially approved, the app is posted to the store and can be purchased. A German man named Armin Heinrich created an app that displays a red gem [video]. He called it “I Am Rich” and put a $999.99 price tag on it. The description was very clear that this app essentially did nothing. Surprisingly, eight people purchased it, although two of them later asked for refunds. Apple has since pulled the app from the store.

Link: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/…
(via digg)

A recent study found, among other things, that people thought more creatively if they viewed the Apple logo before performing a task. This is an example of priming, and it really seems to work. I remember hearing of a study where women were reminded of the stereotype that females can’t do math, and they performed worse on a math test than women who had not been reminded of the stereotype. The interesting thing about the current study is that the subjects were exposed to brands—apparently the huge amount of money put into brand awareness is having an effect.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

The MacBook Air, with its minimalist design, lack of visible ports, and (optional) solid-state drive, was unusual enough to flag a man going through airport security. He was eventually released, but not in time to catch his flight.

Link: http://www.michaelnygard.com/…
(via Engadget)

Amazon has added the Sony BMG catalog to its library of DRM-free music downloads. This is significant because Amazon now has all four of the major US music labels on board and is a serious competitor to Apple’s iTunes store. Note that, with the exception of EMI, Apple is required to sell the same music with copyright protection.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

Astute Chad’s News readers already know that iPhones released in the United States will work with only one service provider: AT&T. Many consumers found this to be outrageous, and the hacking community quickly figured out how to unlock the iPhone so it can be used with other carriers. Be warned, however, that Apple is very unhappy about this, and performing the unlock will almost undoubtedly void the iPhone’s warranty. Ars Technica has gone so far as to suggest that Apple may permanently disable any unlocked iPhones, turning them into expensive bricks.

Be sure to check out this picture (via Digg), which I think is hilarious.

I prefer the older “wheel” interface, but it looks like this is the direction in which Apple has decided to go.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

NBC will be withdrawing its video products from the iTunes store, and Universal has refused to sign a long-term contract for its music. At the heart of it all is Apple’s pricing scheme—with the producers wanting higher prices.

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/…

UPDATE: Ars Technica has some more information on this topic, including a rumor that Apple wants to decrease the price of videos.

Apple has announced a $200 price cut on its iPhones, as well as a revamped line of iPods. If you bought an iPhone within the last two weeks, you can get the price difference refunded. If you’re not eligible for the refund, however, it looks like Apple is giving out a $100 store credit.

Link: http://ap.google.com/…
(via Kim Komando)