MacRumors

After a recent meeting with top Apple executives, Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff believes that Apple's iTV will go beyond simply streaming video (reported by AppleInsider).

"Though details remain sketchy, Apple emphasized [the] focus of iTV [is] to improve user experience by leveraging its software expertise and implied that there may be features beyond the mere streaming of video content," the analyst wrote.

The iTV is already known to be able to stream music and photos as well, and the possibility of Apple including an internal hard drive in the iTV has already been raised, but the analyst also believes the iTV will have advanced user interface software to further the ultimate goal of improving user experience and simplifying consumers' use of content.

Apple also reportedly (and not surprisingly) has a number of products currently in development that are likely to be introduced over several years. During Apple's September "It's Showtime" event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated that Apple was now "in your den... in your living room... in your car... in your pocket", and hinted that that theme gave a "little idea of where [Apple] is going."

According to the Financial Times, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount and Warner Bros, who are all reported to be in talks with Apple to bring their movie collections to the iTunes store, are pressuring Apple to reduce the number of devices movie content from iTunes would be able to play on (namely, iPods).

The studios want to avoid the experience of the music industry, which has yet to recover from years of illegal digital piracy. Apple must introduce a new model for feature film content delivery, said one studio executive involved in the talks. With the average cost of a blockbuster film approaching $100m, movie studios had more to lose than music companies, he added. Were very willing to do a deal but were keen to get some concessions from Apple that will account for the differences between the value of music and television content and feature film content.

Currently, Apple's usage rights allow downloadable content to be played on an unlimited number of iPods as well as up to 5 computers, although DVD burning is limited to archiving purposes only (DVD-Video burning is not supported).

Disney sold 125,000 movies in its first week of operation on the iTunes store. While still small in comparison to DVD sales, Disney expects digital sales to add $50 million in revenue to its bottom line in the first year on the iTunes Store. The continued success of movie sales may make arguments for restricted usage rights fall on deaf ears to Apple executives, who would view such arguments as nit-picking a successful program.

A Commercial Times report claims that Apple is in line to ship approximately 300,000 MacBooks in November alone.

For reference, Apple shipped 986,000 Portables (MacBook and MacBook Pro) in Q4 2006 (July 1 - September 30).

The 300,000 MacBooks in November represent sales for Q1 2007 (October 1 - December 31st). As comparison, Q1 2006 sales reflected 587,000 over 3 months for iBooks and PowerBooks.

A number of factors would have affected both year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter sales. Last year, Apple had not yet introduced Intel models of their portables, and just on November 8th 2006, Apple introduced the long anticipated Core 2 Duo versions of the MacBook.

Reuters reports that Universal Music Group Chief Executive said on Tuesday that they may seek a royalty from Apple for iPod sales:

"It would be a nice idea. We have a negotiation coming up not too far. I don't see why we wouldn't do that... but maybe not in the same way,"

Universal made news earlier this month when it was reported that Microsoft had agreed to pay Universal Music a fee for every new Zune Music Player sold. Music studios, of course, currently get a cut from every song sold, but do not get any percentage of iPod sales.

Now available in Mac OS X's Software Update:

Security Update 2006-007 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components:
AirPort,
ATS,
CFNetwork,
Finder,
Font Book,
Font Importer,
Installer,
OpenSSL,
PHP,
PPP,
Samba,
Security Framework,
VPN,
WebKit,
gnuzip,
perl

Apple provides detailed information about this update in this tech note. Of particular interest is a fix for Airport software which potentially allowed wireless network attacks on older Macs.

Microsoft's release of the Zune player, of course, has drawn a number of comparisons with Apple's iPod. With no official numbers yet available, many interested consumers are looking at other measures of comparison between the two product lines.

Several readers point to Amazon's Top Selling MP3 Player list as an informal sales ranking which shows that the Zune falls in 23rd place (after reaching a peak of 6th) behind many iPods as well as MP3 players from Creative and SanDisk.

Meanwhile, one analyst surveyed consumer electronics retail stores for comments and recommendations about the Zune player. According to their research, the iPod was recommended approximately 75% of the time, while the Zune was recommended about 8% of the time. As well, many of the quotes indicated that some sales people didn't even know what the Zune was:

"In fact, some MP3 player salespeople had not even heard of the Zune, despite the fact that they sold it in their store," he wrote.

To be fair, with the recent launch date for the Zune, such comparisons are hardly fair. After the initial launch, analysts expect the Zune to build gradually, with initial marketshare coming at the expense of other MP3 manufacturers besides Apple.

Microsoft is going to put tons of money in this over time, much like they did with the Xbox" video game console, she said. "It's not about the first generation (of devices).

The December 2006 edition of Mens Health magazine includes Men's Health 2007 Tech Guide, which includes an unannounced product labeled Nike Amp+, a wrist-mounted remote for interfacing with the Nike+iPod system.

Playlist miscues can ruin a run. That's the impetus behind this wrist-mounted Bluetooth remote, which lets you browse through songs on your iPod or check your run times without fumbling with the player. It syncs up with the Nike+iPod running system via Bluetooth wireless connection, displaying information on an illuminated LED readout hidden beneath the matte-finish face of the bracelet. Just stash your iPod in your pocketno more fiddling with the sweat-slicked dial.

Interestingly, the description describes the watch as using Bluetooth technology. While the existing Nike+iPod Sport Kit uses the bluetooth 2.4 GHz frequency, Apple claims it uses a proprietary protocol.

In addition, many users have been reporting for some time that the latest versions of the iPod software for their iPod Nanos (v1.3 for Gen1, v1.1 for Gen2, available via iTunes 7) is described as having support for an "Nike+iPod Voice Kit." No other information about this mysterious product is available at this time.

It is not known when either product will be available. Mens Health claims the Amp+ MSRP as $80.

Update: According to this FAQ on Apple's website, the Voice Kits appear to simply be downloadable software localizations for the spoken feedback produced by the Nike+iPod system.

Multiple readers report seeing a new holiday-themed "Get A Mac" ad on U.S. network television. While reader reports vary slightly on the exact details of the ad, in general the Mac (still played by Justin Long) performs a gift swap with PC with the Mac giving PC a photo book made from iPhoto, whereas PC gives a C++ GUI programming handbook and remarking "i've been eyeing that myself."

As of this posting, the ad has not been published to Apple's website. Justin Long's continued involvement in Apple's ad campaign and holiday-themed ads was previously rumored here.
Update: Three new Mac ads have been posted on Apple's site.

Gift Exchange
Sales Pitch
Meant for Work

Digitimes claims that Apple is planning on launching a 17" Widescreen LCD" monitor "by year-end or the first quarter of 2007".

According to vendors cited by the article, 17" widescreen monitors will not necessarily be more expensive than the current 17" 4:3 models.

Apple previously had sold a 17" 4:3 ratio LCD until June 2004, when it revamped their monitor line to what it stands today:

20" Cinema (1680x1050) - $699
23" Cinema HD (1920x1200) - $999
30" Cinema HD (2560x1600) - $1999

A 17" Widescreen LCD would fall in the bottom end of the monitor line. While intriguing, the report comes from Digitimes whose rumor reports have been historically inaccurate.

Fortune reports that Apple may be close to bringing the Beatles music catalog online exclusively through iTunes.

Other music stores such as MSN and Rhapsody have reportedly courted the Beatles over the years, but with little success. However, David Munns, head of EMI North America, was recently cited as saying that the Beatles would be available online "soon".

The details of the deal are still being worked out, according to the article:

As Fortune went to press, numerous deal points were still being hammered out. According to a music industry executive apprised of the talks, the parties were discussing how lengthy a window of exclusivity iTunes might get and how many tens of millions of dollars Jobs - who is said to be personally involved in the discussions - will commit to an advance for the band and marketing costs.

If a deal is established, this would be interesting conclusion to a history of legal disputes between Apple Computer and Apple Corps (Beatles company). The most recent outcome favored Apple Computer's use of the Apple logo in association with the iTunes store.

Smarthouse.com.au claims that Apple has a full working prototype of a Mac tablet PC within their labs with plans for a 2007 launch.

According to sources in Taiwan, the targets for this unreleased Mac tablet are expected to be home and education markets rather than the enterprise market.

The Mac tablet has been designed to handle third party applications such as home automation software that will allow users to control lighting, audio, entertainment devices and security feeds. It also acts as a full blown PC has wireless linking for a new generation of Wireless Hi Fi speakers that are currently being tested by Apple.

The Intel-based Tablet Mac would also offer a docking station to provide HDMI output to the appropriate screen. Beyond using the technology documented in Apple's recent patent applications for touch-screen/tablet Macs, Apple is reportedly licensing at least three patents from 3rd party companies.
This is not the first time that there have been rumors about a Mac tablet. In fact, rumors of a Mac tablet culminated in early 2003 with significant evidence that a Mac tablet project was in the works at that time. At the time, one description of the tablet at the time was as follows:

A device that superficially resembles a large iPod with an 8-inch diagonal screen, lacks a keyboard, packs USB and FireWire ports, and runs Mac OS X along with a variety of multimedia goodies.

The tablet, of course, never saw the light of day... though its unclear why Apple never released the tablet (if it did indeed exist).

As a historic note, Apple did work on a tablet form-factor for their Newton (PDA) devices. An unreleased prototype can be seen here.

Today (November 24th 2006), Apple is holding their annual Day After Thanksgiving sale (U.S. and Canada only) which is a one day event. What's notable about this event is that Apple rarely discounts their products, normally strictly following their manufactuer suggested retail prices. That being said, once sales tax and/or shipping costs and factored in, individual customers may still do better when purchasing from other online retailers.

Like last year, Apple will only be offering savings on specific products. A list of the discounts are presently detailed on Apple's online store.

Advertised Savings
iPod nano: Save $11-$21
iPod: Save $21-31
iPod Hi-Fi: Save $51
MacBook: Save $101
iMac: Save $101

There are additional savings on a number of iPod and Mac accessories and software. Discounts are also available at Retail Apple stores. User experiences trying to combine these sales with existing discounts have been variable.

MercuryNews.com reports on comments by Palm's CEO Ed Colligan on the persistent rumors that Apple will be introducing a Apple phone in the near future.

Overall, Colligan was not concerned about Apple's possible entry into the smart-phone market.

"We've learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone,'' he said. "PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They're not going to just walk in.''

Colligan does theorize that Apple might offer their phone with Wifi technology and distribute the phone in Apple stores rather than through the traditional wireless carriers, such as Cingular or Verizon.

Apple has been rumored to have paired with Cingular for their 2007 launch of the iPhone. Recent announcements, however, have cast some doubt on this arrangement.

The "Month of Kernel Bugs" project has found two unpatched security vulnerabilities in the way Mac OS X handles .dmg files.

The first vulnerability, rated "highly critical" by security-firm Secunia, can lead to privilege escalation, denial of service, and system access by a remote user (if Safari's open "safe" files option is checked).

The second issue is similar in nature, in that a corrupted UDTO HFS+ .dmg (ex. bad sectors) can lead to a denial of service condition.

A workaround for both issues is to disable Safari's option to open "safe" files after downloading, and to not open any .dmg file from a source you do not trust.

The latest findings increase the total to four security bugs found in Apple's software since the beginning of the project this month (See also: Airport Driver Exploit , fpathconf() Exploit ). The project has also targeted Windows, Linux, and other popular BSD distributions, with a stated goal to "check how many unreported and unknown issues can be found in kernel code out there, using simple, yet effective tools deploying techniques such as fuzzing and 'stress testing'."

The president and CEO of Eneco, a "development stage company" that claims to have developed a small chip that can convert heat into electricity, claims that he is in talks with both Apple and Dell regarding his company's technology.

First reported on an IT Week blog "Green Business News", Eneco claims that their chips can produce electricity from heat at up to 30% efficiency.

The company says it is already in talks with both Dell and Apple about how the chips could be used in their devices. Initial talks have focused on integrating the heat conversion chips into the device so it can harness the heat generated by processors and turn it into electricity to power fans or other cooling technologies. By harnessing this power the devices, be they initially laptops and handhelds, or later even servers and PCs, should see improved energy efficiency, extended battery life and enhanced performance.

There are issues with the chip, as are to be expected from a development-stage product based on a new technology. At the present time, Eneco hopes to begin production late next year or early 2008.

EETimes is reporting word from analyst Chris Caso that PortalPlayer may have scored a big win in Apple's rumored phone, receiving the contract for the applications processor design.

PortalPlayer was dumped from Apple's iPod Nano line in April 2006, and has since been bought by NVidia, who themselves are rumored to have scored the multimedia chip contract for the forthcoming "true" video iPod. PortalPlayer still supplies the audio processor for Apple's full-sized iPod (iPod with video).

Apple's phone has recently been rumored to be in production overseas, with initial deliveries starting in February 2007.