3.1.1 iPod
Música sem DRM na iTunes
«CUPERTINO, California—April 2, 2007—Apple® today announced that EMI Music’s entire digital catalog of music will be available for purchase DRM-free (without digital rights management) from the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com) worldwide in May. DRM-free tracks from EMI will be offered at higher quality 256 kbps AAC encoding, resulting in audio quality indistinguishable from the original recording, for just $1.29 per song. In addition, iTunes customers will be able to easily upgrade their entire library of all previously purchased EMI content to the higher quality DRM-free versions for just 30 cents a song. iTunes will continue to offer its entire catalog, currently over five million songs, in the same versions as today—128 kbps AAC encoding with DRM—at the same price of 99 cents per song, alongside DRM-free higher quality versions when available. ler mais em http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html»
O iPod-killer? Da Creative
É da Creative (linha Zen), custa metade do preço de um iPod Shuffle e baseia-se na ideia da «escolha aleatória»
«Creative Zen Stone é o que poderíamos chamar de iPod shuffle reprodutor MP3 e WMA sem tela. Segundo palavras da própria Creative "deixe-se surpreender pela canção que virá depois" com o seu modo aleatório.
Com uma capacidade de 1GB o Zen Stone não trousse nada de novo, a não ser seus cantos mais arredondados e a variedade de cores.
O Zen Stone armazena 500 faixas de 4 minutos com codificação WMA a 64kbps e sua bateria dá uma autonomia de 10 horas contra 12 do iPod shuffle»
A Apple tem medo da rádio?
«Even old-school DJs see the appeal of personalized radio. Elvis Duran, who hosts a popular morning show on New York City's Z100, says he could imagine a future in which listeners wake up to some comedy and conversation from the show followed by three songs tailored to their tastes. But he doesn't expect live DJs to become obsolete: "When people wake up in the morning, it's good to hear some people who are talking about interesting topics and who let you know, hey, the world's still spinning and I can go out there." Good idea. No wonder Apple never built a radio tuner in the iPod: it's scared of the competition» (fonte: «Learning to Love Radio Again», By Anita Hamilton, Time Magazine, 29/05/07)
O esforço para fazer convergir o iPod com a rádio (à margem da Apple)
«Manufacturer Roberts Radio and digital technology company Frontier Silicon have joined forces to develop the UK's first DAB/FM plug-in for the iPod. Digital radio stations will be able to reach a potential audience of millions by opening up their services to iPod users.The device, which is "about the size of an egg" will be launched in late autumn. It will be sold by major electronic retailers for £49.99. The Digital Radio Development Bureau (DRDB), the industry body set up to ensure digital radio is picked up widely and swiftly, is backing the launch.A DRDB spokeswoman said: "FM radio plug-ins for iPods have already proven popular so we are feeling positive about the DAB/FM plug-in." BBC director of music and audio Jenny Abramsky was also enthusiastic about the plug-in but added "One of the key challenges is not just getting DAB onto iPods, MP3 players and mobile phones but to get it onto all mobile devices." Abramsky said approximately 13 million MP3 players had been sold in the UK, the majority of which were iPods. She added the DAB plug-in would be a good way of preventing younger audiences from slipping away from digital radio. Apple declined to comment on whether it will consider incorporating DAB/FM technology on iPods in the future.» (fonte: «DAB/FM iPod plug-in to give digital radio boost», Broadcastnow, Yvette Mackenzie, 24/05/07; via Netfm)
«Como tirar os iPods das mãos das pessoas?»
... pergunta Fred Jacobs
«Radio has many challenges that have been discussed constantly in the press, as well as in this space. Unfortunately, many of the factors facing terrestrial radio - economic, technology, etc. - are out of our control. How are we going to take iPods out of people's hands? How can you stop TV viewers from using their DVRs and whizzing past commercials?» (fonte: «Figure It Out»)
Fortes ganhos da Apple
«Apple reported heavy profit gains during its recent, fiscal second quarter, a total powered in part by strong iPod gains. The company disclosed revenues of $5.26 billion, up 21 percent from a total of $4.36 billion during the comparable period last year. Profits landed at $770 million, or $.87 per diluted share, up nearly 88 percent from year-ago gains of $410 million, or $.47 per diluted share. "We are very pleased to report the most profitable March quarter in Apple's history," said Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer. Overall iPod sales crossed 10.5 million during the period, a growth of 24 percent over sales levels last year. The total was powered by strong sales of the low-cost shuffle, though a model breakdown was not provided. "The iPod shuffle was especially popular, with the addition of four brilliant new colors beginning in late January," explained Oppenheimer during the Wednesday earnings call.»
fonte: «Apple Shows Quarterly Profit Boom, Continued iPod Strength», Digital Music News, 25/04/07
«Apple anuncia que já vendeu 100 milhões de iPods»
«SÃO PAULO - A Apple anunciou que já vendeu 100 milhões de iPods. A cifra alcançada pela linha de tocadores digitais da companhia foi divulgada nesta segunda-feira, dia 9, e contabiliza todas as vendas de aparelhos desde o lançamento da primeira versão do iPod em 2001.
Além de ter se tornado um tocador extremamente popular (responde por mais de 70% do mercado norte-americano de players), o iPod possibilitou à Apple estabelecer-se como um distribuidor de conteúdo graças à loja virtual iTunes, que, em mercados como Japão, EUA e Europa, fornece canções e vídeos pagas para os players.
Desde o início da linha iPod, já foram fabricados mais de 10 modelos diferentes de iPods, a indústria gerou acessórios que vão de caixas acústicas para o tocador a despertadores que trabalham em conjunto com o iPod, passando por adaptadores para ouvir o conteúdo do aparelho em aparelhos de som automotivo.»
fonte: «Apple anuncia que já vendeu 100 milhões de iPods», 9/04/07, Estadão.
O crescimento dos iPods
«iPods show no signs of stopping. , our showed that the growth of personal mp3 players was far from over. confirms that this phenomenon continues to have lots of life, and we expect strong growth throughout %u201907. Since this poll was started in February %u201905, year-to-year personal has steadily increased. From the %u201906 to %u201907 studies, ownership is up to 47% of the Rock sample, an impressive jump of 34%. And among Alternative listeners, two-thirds (67%) now own an iPod-like device».(Jacobs Blog, «», 3/04/07)
LAD (iPod) devem ter receptores de rádio
«Conventional wisdom suggests that iPod owners are swimming in their own collections, and leaving programmed radio stations behind. That certainly sounds like the typical iPod owner, though fresh research indicates that a large number of portable music fans want terrestrial radio receptivity. According to a recent internet-based poll conducted by Jacobs Media, 33 percent of respondents expressed a preference for FM radio in their next portable media device. And among iPod owners, the number was a more substantial 41 percent. In both cases, the preference for radio receptivity outweighed demand for increased capacity, a larger screen, and video playback. "It's a no-brainer," said Fred Jacobs, head of the research group. "If Apple truly wishes to make the most versatile, user-friendly personal MP3 devices, an FM tuner should be standard equipment." Currently, iPod owners can grab FM receptivity by purchasing an add-on from a large number of companies. But off-the-shelf, the iPod does not contain terrestrial radio reception, an approach that Jacobs disagreed with. But tempering the opinion is a potentially heavy skew in the results, which were compiled by a company that focuses its expertise on rock radio. In fact, the survey pool of 25,000 was pulled from nearly 70 rock radio stations across the United States, a selection process that offers a less-balanced consumer picture. Meanwhile, Apple is most likely reviewing sales data on add-ons like FM receivers, and weighing its product decisions on actual buying information. A number of iPod rivals, including the Microsoft Zune and a range of SanDisk players, currently offer FM receptivity.»
fonte: «Researchers Raise Importance of Portable FM Reception», Digital Music News, 2/04/07
Mais: «Of course, FM radios are available in Microsoft's Zunes and SanDisk players, for example, but they are not built into Apple branded products, such as nano, shuffle, or video iPods. Clearly, this is a great opportunity for Apple to better serve its millions of iPod customers, while keeping ahead of its growing competition. It’s a no-brainer - If Apple truly wishes to make the most versatile, user-friendly personal mp3 devices, an FM tuner should be standard equipment» (Jacobs Blog, «iPod Owners Want WHAT?», 3/04/07)
Mark Ramsey acha que isso nunca vai acontecer:
«
First, the iPod is not an island. It's an mp3 player, and there are many mp3 players out there equipped with FM tuners. That is, the thing these folks say they want is already available on a different branded unit, and they deliberately chose not to buy that unit and purchased an iPod instead. What does that tell you about what they say they want vs. what they really want? Second, Jobs knows full well that there's demand for an FM tuner in the marketplace. And that's why Apple makes such a tuner as an add-on for the iPod. Indeed, the iPod is deliberately manufactured to be the centerpiece of an ecosystem of products that "plus" the iPod, and an FM tuner is one such "plus." So arguably, this problem is solved even before it's posed as a problem. Third, why should Apple burn their iPod batteries to empower the radio industry's agenda when those batteries could be alternatively burned playing video and audio purchased from Apple's own iTunes, a proposition which not only drives the value of iPods but fills Apple's coffers to the brim?»
fonte: Mark Ramsey, Hear2.0, «Will iPods feature FM tuners? Nope.», 2/04/07
iPod tem 73% do mercado EUA
«"Apple Inc. sold a record 21 million iPods for the holiday quarter, which helped boost the company's revenues by 50% and accounted for sales of $3.43 billion--half of Apple's total sales for the quarter, the company reported this week," Emily Burg reports in an updated article for MediaPost's MarketingDaily.
Burg reports, "Stellar sales have earned the iPod a 72% share of the portable music player market. Microsoft's Zune, meanwhile, recorded 2.8% of the market for December, and 10.2% of all 30GB hard drive models sold, according to retail research firm NPD Group." (fonte: NPD: Apple iPod held 72% share of PMP market in December; Microsoft Zune had 2.8% share, Sunday, January 21, 2007).
Já teve mais: «Research company The NPD Group said in a report released Tuesday that various versions of the iPod accounted for 92.1 percent of the market for hard drive-based music players, up from 82.2 percent a year ago. Players from Creative Technology and Digital Networks North America's Rio were a distant second and third, with 3.7 percent and 3.2 percent of the market, respectively.» (outubro 2004)
Mais iPod (como rádio pessoal...)
«Não contente em apenas escutar as músicas de seu iPod, uma adolescente de São Francisco, nos Estados Unidos, inventou um aparelho que permite que o tocador digital funcione como uma estação de rádio, transmitindo músicas para outros tocadores que estão por perto. O sistema, chamado de NoeStringsAttached, faz com que iPods e outros aparelhos semelhantes possam transmitir e receber músicas utilizando ondas de rádio FM, a uma distância de até 4,5 metros.
Kristyn Heath, a adolescente que criou a novidade, explica que o sistema consiste em duas unidades idênticas, cada uma acoplada na saída de fones de ouvido padrão encontrada na maior parte dos tocadores de CD, fitas e MP3. O usuário seleciona uma das cinco freqüências de rádio utilizadas e então opta por transmitir ou receber as músicas. Até mesmo quem não tem um tocador pode utilizar o sistema e ouvir a música que está no iPod dos outros -- basta conectar fones de ouvido ao NoeStringsAttached. (...) “A maior parte das pessoas da minha idade não tem muito dinheiro para gastar. Por isso, quis manter o equipamento acessível”. A rádio FM não tem a mesma qualidade que sistemas sem fio como wi-fi ou bluetooth, mas Kristyn acredita que isso não será um problema. Ela acrescenta que o sinal de rádio ainda é um meio de transmissão popular. “Acho que a qualidade é boa o suficiente, especialmente quando você considera o preço.”»
fonte: «Aparelho faz comunicação de iPods via rádio», 27/03/2007, G1, Globo
«Apple TV chega em Abril»
«Abril deverá marcar o início da comercialização da Apple TV no mercado Europeu, incluindo Portugal, depois de ontem ter iniciado a venda nos Estados Unidos, segundo a Lusa.
Este produto liga o computador à televisão, sem necessitar de fios, e permite a reprodução de conteúdos multimédia como músicas, vídeos, podcasts e fotografias. A Apple TV, cujo preço no mercado europeu deverá rondar os 299 euros, de acordo com informações da Apple Portugal, vem equipada com um disco de 40Gb e possui uma capacidade de armazenamento de 50 horas de vídeo, aproximadamente nove mil músicas e 25 mil fotografias.»
fonte: «Apple TV chega em Abril» Meios e Publicidade, 23/03/07
Quando uma rádio queria oferecer iPods de prémio...
«Mr. Hanson also suggested that land-based radio had been too slow to respond to satellite radio, which offers access to dozens of commercial-free music channels for a monthly subscription fee and to digital music players, like Apple Computer's iPod. He said that he balked when a supervisor suggested running an on-air contest to give away an iPod loaded with 949 songs. (Zeta's frequency was 94.9-FM.) "I was like, 'Then they don't need to listen to Zeta anymore.' " Mr. Hanson wound up forgoing the contest.»
fonte: New York Times, «Fade-Out: New Rock Is Passé on Radio», By JEFF LEEDS, April 28, 2005
As (limitações da) rádio e o (segredo do) iPod
«Years ago, radio had abandoned the idea of providing variety to listeners and instead concentrated on putting just a few well-tested songs on "heavy rotation" so the most popular tunes at the moment (generally the lowest artistic common denominator, catchy and forgettable stuff) would dominate the airwaves. Who could tolerate such unimaginative programming when there were iPods, which could shuffle thousands of songs that had passed the ultimate focus group - you, the sole listener, endorsing every cut because you consciously ripped it into the system?» (levy, 2006: 248)
O que é que o iPod tem (uma rádio pessoal)
Uma mistura de coisas: «Digital technology gathers, shreds, and empowers, all at once. Mix, mash, rip, burn, plunder, and discover: these are the things that the digital world can do much more easily than before- or for the first time. The iPod, and the download dollar-store that accompanies it, makes sense of those things without making our brains hurt.» (Levy, 2006: 4)
A escolha aleatória: «(...)the best way, I discovered, was to find the setting that said "shuffle", click through the menus till you got to a list of all your songs, pick a starting place, and go. From that point, your whole collection would resequence itself in glorious chaos. It was like my own private radio station that played only songs that I liked - after all, I had put them there» (Levy, 2006: 18)
Moda: «Most emphatically, the iPod has taken on that adjective almost as a birthright. What is the link between coolness and iPods? Is trendiness a significant component of the iPod's success? Why has the world of fashion embraced the iPod? Why won't your kids accept a generic substitute, which plays the same damn songs an iPod does?» (Levy, 2006: 59)
Capacidade de armazenagem: «In fact, in 2005, a Solutions Research Group study showed that the average iPod owner has 504 songs; a different survey found that the average was 900. Apple Executive Vice President Phil Schiller says that Apple has concluded that a limit of 1,000 songs turns out to be the "sweet spot" for most people, the number that sticks in most people's minds as the most they'll need. (A 2004 Jupiter Research study backs him up further: it found that only 23 percent of consumers said that they'd ever need more than 1,000 songs on their player at one time.)» (Levy, 2006: 84)
Blogues e iPods: «Blogging and iPods were a great match, two innovations that had enjoyed a parallel run to glory in the early 2000s. Many people blogged about their iPods - what they were listening to on the iPod, what color they ad chosen for their boyfriend, how they slept with the iPod under their pillow, and how pissed they were that they had bought a new iPod just before Apple released a newer, cooler iteration. ("iPod" as, in fact, the most popular 'tag' or category, in the massive blog massive search engine Technorati.) (Levy, 2006: 129-130)
Números sobre o iPod
«By the end of 2005, Apple Computer had sold more than 42 million iPods, at prices ranging from $99 to $599 (most sold in the middle range). What's more, at that time the iPod had about 75 percent market share of the entire category of digital music players. Its online digital music emporium, the iTunes Music Store, has sold more than a billion songs at 99 cents each, representing about 85 percent of all legal paid downloads, a market that barely existed before Steve Jobs (...)» (Levy, 2006: 3)
Uma opinião sobre o iPod
«it is the most familiar, and certainly the most desirable, new object of the twenty-first century» (Levy, 2006: 1)
Como o iPod pode ganhar ainda mais
«O presidente da Apple, Steve Jobs, incitou as maiores editoras discográficas do mundo a venderem online as suas músicas sem o actual software de segurança, que previne a pirataria dos ficheiros. Para Steve Jobs, a abolição do software de protecção anti-pirataria de música, conhecido como «digital rights management» (DRM), seria uma boa medida para os consumidores e até para as próprias editoras, argumentando que este é ineficaz no combate à pirataria. A Apple tem vindo a sofrer pressões para compatibilizar as músicas vendidas na sua loja virtual iTunes com outros leitores de música, já que estão restringidas ao leitor que a própria empresa comercializa, o iPod. Desde Junho de 2006, associações de consumidores de vários países da Europa têm recebido queixas sobre a Apple, relativas à incompatibilidade das músicas do iTunes com aparelhos de outras marcas. Referindo-se a esta situação, Steve Jobs afirma que, a abolição do DRM permitiria a todos utilizadores de mp3 o acesso às músicas de qualquer loja virtual, incluindo a iTunes. «É claramente a melhor alternativa para os consumidores, e a Apple iria envolver-se a 100% nesta iniciativa», declarou. Os analistas referem que esta medida iria reforçar a posição da Apple como líder do mercado da música digital. A loja virtual de música da Apple, iTunes, vendeu cerca de 2 mil milhões de músicas, desde que foi lançada em 2003, e conta com mais de 70% do mercado de música digital dos Estados Unidos. Segundo Steve Jobs, caso a protecção DRM seja retirada, a Apple estará em condições de criar um sistema de download, que permita a compatibilidade das suas músicas com outros leitores, para além do iPod, inclusive o Zune, recentemente lançado pela Microsoft.»
fonte: Diário Digital, 7/02/07, Apple apela à venda de música sem software anti-pirataria
O iPod (como LAD) está a matar a rádio
«People simply don’t have that big of a use for the radio anymore. The iPod is more convenient. You don’t have to keep changing the station every five minutes, you don’t have to listen to advertisements, and you don’t have to listen to some crazy DJ’s blabber on while you drive to school or work in the morning. The iPod is built into everything from cars to airplanes. It’s even driven companies out of business. For example, Tower Records is closing up shop. Sony Walkmans have essentially been replaced with iPod shuffles and nanos when it comes to working out. This device, this music player, caused a revolution. People were saying it would be “just another fad” and “gone in a few years” when it started to get popular. But when everyone from George Bush to the Pope has one, the decline of the iPod doesn’t seem to be coming anytime in the near future. It’s not a fad, it’s a new way of life. Another thing: Podcasting is replacing radio shows. As podcasting grow in popularity, radio shows decline in popularity. In the past, people would have to listen to some person blabber on about random and sometimes idiotic topics (and when I say random or idiotic, I mean, the pinnacle of random or idiotic). Now, people can now listen to whatever they want, whether it’s TWiT or CNN Headline News. (...) iPod really did kill the radio star; it’s driven companies out of business, replaced radio shows, and built itself into everything from cars to planes. No one knew that this device would ever have the effect it has had on us today.»
fonte: «iPod killed the radio star», The MacMind, 4/01/07