If the RIAA and MPAA would spend more time creating digital distribution channels and less time fighting progress, perhaps they wouldn't find themselves in this predicament.
If the MPAA associated companies put up a website tommorow with AC-3 DIVX versions of every movie ever made, I'd easily pay 5 or 10 bucks to own a movie. But instead they'd rather spend the 'hard earned artists' dollars' on litigation.
They won't stop progress. History will show that in the end the consumers won out, perhaps at the expense of repressive corporate movie and music publishers.
And that is precisely the problem with apple's business model. For years they've seen their market share slip away because they refuse to compete in the marketplace..
The only thing that has kept them operating over the past couple of years was mainstream adoption of the iMac line. If they don't do something to expand their market they're not going to be able to stay afloat. As we've seen with the cube, design alone doesn't do it for the consumer. People bought iMacs because they looked cool and they were cost effective when compared feature to feature with wintel boxes.
Cool design, yes. Earth shattering, bigger than big? nope.
Apple really needs to get out of this niche market if they want to survive. I am still holding out hope that tommorow's announcment will include OS X for Intel.
Re:Big announcement with be OS X for Intel
on
Apple PDA?
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· Score: 1
Apple to Microsoft is like Pakistan to the United States : They're 'allies' yet both Apple and Pakistan will be screwed in the end:). I don't see the problem now that Apple is able to operate on their own without Uncle Bill's dollars.
Re:4comments and the sites already ./ed
on
Apple PDA?
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· Score: 1
One of the problems with Newton was that it was so much larger than the Palm Pilot many folks had a hard time taking it with them. If the spymac.com photos are true, this will be yet another Apple failure. This thing is way too big and clunky and borders on downright ugly!
The form factor to beat is the Ipaq. It's powerful yet small enough to fit in a pocket. That's what people want.
Big announcement with be OS X for Intel
on
Apple PDA?
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Call me crazy but I still maintain 'the next big thing' from Apple is going to be a port of OS X to an Intel platform.
Jobs' NextStep OS, which forms the foundation of OS X, was at one time ported to the Intel platform. Since many of Apple's latest innovations are an extension of failed ambitions at NeXT, it's not a stretch to imagine this product being announced on Monday.
The fact that security will now be handled by the US Government ought to be taken as indicating that the feds, anyway, regard the airlines as something more than simple private enterprise.
Not to mention the fact that the government is slowly taking over airlines through loan guarantees. The feds now own nearly 20% of America West. I suspect at the rate things are going we'll have AmTrak for the rails and AmAir for the skies.
My buddy Ben Frankline summed this up the best: They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
I agree with the above.. The simple fact is this:
NOBODY IS GOING TO PAY FOR A SERVICE IN WHICH THEY CAN'T BURN THEIR SONGS TO CD or COPY TO THEIR iPod. Period, end of story.
Most of the folks out there who would spend money on something like this want to take the music with them. I for one burn myself mixes for the car constantly. Who's going to pay to listen to music through tinny computer speakers? The answer: nobody. Mp3 is portable (both in its ease of transmission and ability to morph to other devices), and any format that wants to compete needs to allow such flexibility.
I maintain that the record industry should have jumped on the mp3 bandwagon in 1997 when this entire thing began inching towards critical mass. Napster et. al. took off because it was just so darn hard to find digital music files on the web. Had the RIAA's goons decided to profit from it before MP3 became a culture of 'free,' they would have had something.
I've always been prepared to pay a buck per track if it meant I could actually keep the file and not have it self destruct after 30 minutes.
It's just so frustrating. They just don't get it.
I bought myself a Panasonic HDTV at my local Panasonic outlet.. Got it for half the retail price (it's a refurb) but damn is it nice.
Having said that, there really isn't anything you can practically and cheaply pick up with an HDTV at the moment.. Most hdtv's require a seperate decoder box which needs good 'ol rabbit ears to pick it up. Some cable and satellite companies are broadcasting HDTV, but don't expect much.
Where you will get some benefit is from the stuff you hook up to the TV. Gamecube and DVD players support 480P (progressive scan mode) which will give you an awesome picture. Xbox supports resolutions up to 1080i which must be equally stunning.
HDTV is coming. The sets are coming down in price, but people won't jump on it until it's easy to pick up programming. Right now it certainly is not.
Re:Oops, should be TOO risky for national security
on
Lunar Lasers
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· Score: 1
And to think I'm an adjunct college professor.. Time for more coffee.
Two risky for national security
on
Lunar Lasers
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· Score: 0
All it will take is a 'rogue state' to nuke the moon plant and we're all out of juice. Much too risky from a national security standpoint if you ask me.
They've reorganized but the new company SUCKS.. I had a tape drive issue a month or two ago, and while I won't go into the painful details, they are charging customers for service even under warranty. They won't cross ship, and require somebody in the Netherlands to approve RMA's prior to issuing them.
I had an Onstream drive that was working relatively well for 10 months before it crapped out.
When I started to complain, their excuse to me was that even though the company name (and its products) were the same, it was in fact a different company. So now they charge 50 USD for repairs if you bought the drive before the bankrupcy! So much for a five year warranty.
I don't know how they will stay viable. I for one am in the process of looking at a new backup solution with a company that stands behind its products.
Slashdot Mirror
If the MPAA associated companies put up a website tommorow with AC-3 DIVX versions of every movie ever made, I'd easily pay 5 or 10 bucks to own a movie. But instead they'd rather spend the 'hard earned artists' dollars' on litigation.
They won't stop progress. History will show that in the end the consumers won out, perhaps at the expense of repressive corporate movie and music publishers.
Anybody know if this will affect those currently receiving disability for carpal tunnel and other related conditions?
The only thing that has kept them operating over the past couple of years was mainstream adoption of the iMac line. If they don't do something to expand their market they're not going to be able to stay afloat. As we've seen with the cube, design alone doesn't do it for the consumer. People bought iMacs because they looked cool and they were cost effective when compared feature to feature with wintel boxes.
Cool design, yes. Earth shattering, bigger than big? nope. Apple really needs to get out of this niche market if they want to survive. I am still holding out hope that tommorow's announcment will include OS X for Intel.
Works fine :)
Apple to Microsoft is like Pakistan to the United States : They're 'allies' yet both Apple and Pakistan will be screwed in the end :). I don't see the problem now that Apple is able to operate on their own without Uncle Bill's dollars.
The form factor to beat is the Ipaq. It's powerful yet small enough to fit in a pocket. That's what people want.
Jobs' NextStep OS, which forms the foundation of OS X, was at one time ported to the Intel platform. Since many of Apple's latest innovations are an extension of failed ambitions at NeXT, it's not a stretch to imagine this product being announced on Monday.
Not to mention the fact that the government is slowly taking over airlines through loan guarantees. The feds now own nearly 20% of America West. I suspect at the rate things are going we'll have AmTrak for the rails and AmAir for the skies.
My buddy Ben Frankline summed this up the best: They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
I agree with the above.. The simple fact is this: NOBODY IS GOING TO PAY FOR A SERVICE IN WHICH THEY CAN'T BURN THEIR SONGS TO CD or COPY TO THEIR iPod. Period, end of story. Most of the folks out there who would spend money on something like this want to take the music with them. I for one burn myself mixes for the car constantly. Who's going to pay to listen to music through tinny computer speakers? The answer: nobody. Mp3 is portable (both in its ease of transmission and ability to morph to other devices), and any format that wants to compete needs to allow such flexibility. I maintain that the record industry should have jumped on the mp3 bandwagon in 1997 when this entire thing began inching towards critical mass. Napster et. al. took off because it was just so darn hard to find digital music files on the web. Had the RIAA's goons decided to profit from it before MP3 became a culture of 'free,' they would have had something. I've always been prepared to pay a buck per track if it meant I could actually keep the file and not have it self destruct after 30 minutes. It's just so frustrating. They just don't get it.
I bought myself a Panasonic HDTV at my local Panasonic outlet.. Got it for half the retail price (it's a refurb) but damn is it nice. Having said that, there really isn't anything you can practically and cheaply pick up with an HDTV at the moment.. Most hdtv's require a seperate decoder box which needs good 'ol rabbit ears to pick it up. Some cable and satellite companies are broadcasting HDTV, but don't expect much. Where you will get some benefit is from the stuff you hook up to the TV. Gamecube and DVD players support 480P (progressive scan mode) which will give you an awesome picture. Xbox supports resolutions up to 1080i which must be equally stunning. HDTV is coming. The sets are coming down in price, but people won't jump on it until it's easy to pick up programming. Right now it certainly is not.
And to think I'm an adjunct college professor.. Time for more coffee.
All it will take is a 'rogue state' to nuke the moon plant and we're all out of juice. Much too risky from a national security standpoint if you ask me.
They've reorganized but the new company SUCKS.. I had a tape drive issue a month or two ago, and while I won't go into the painful details, they are charging customers for service even under warranty. They won't cross ship, and require somebody in the Netherlands to approve RMA's prior to issuing them. I had an Onstream drive that was working relatively well for 10 months before it crapped out. When I started to complain, their excuse to me was that even though the company name (and its products) were the same, it was in fact a different company. So now they charge 50 USD for repairs if you bought the drive before the bankrupcy! So much for a five year warranty. I don't know how they will stay viable. I for one am in the process of looking at a new backup solution with a company that stands behind its products.