Advice

In response to this question posted on 43 Folders, I'd probably suggest finding a different hospital to get sick in. Seriously, this doesn't inspire confidence.

(Or alternatively, look for the little bottles labelled "Valium"...)

About the Radioheads

The ever belligerent Gruber recently took Fortune to task for ranking the way Radiohead marketed In Rainbows as the the 59th Dumbest Moment in Business (this year, I guess). And I completely agree that the $3 million (approx. -- and let's face it, with that kind of money you can afford not to count every penny) is a substantial vindication of the strategy. But I think that it's a very big mistake for pundits to project their big-business-is-screwing-the-artist-so-let's-all-go-indie ideals onto this band, or to mistake their actions for anything other than cynical self-serving greed.

This story (saying that Radiohead flounced* out on EMI when they didn't get the $10 million advance they wanted) appeared in The Times last week. Now, I'll say right now that it's probably mostly a smear piece planted by disgruntled EMI executives, but I'm sure that there's at least a big enough grain of truth somewhere in there to stop it being libellous. Let's compare this to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (I've heard of them, but I've never heard any of their music) telling their Australian fans to steal their music because the record companies were ripping them off by setting the price of their CDs unfairly high. Back to Radiohead, who let their fans pay whatever they thought In Rainbows was worth, right? Sure. Unless they were real fans, in which case they wouldn't have settled for less than the super-snazzy boxed set, a snip at only £40...

So I guess the take home point is that, yes, as all right-thinking people have known for a while now, the music industry is really screwed up, with talent largely being ignored and those few "lucky" individuals who make it through getting themselves exploited and ripped-off, but don't go looking to Oxford's finest to sort it out.

[* Go on, sit back, close your eyes and try to imagine Thom Yorke flouncing. If that doesn't make you smile than nothing will.]

iTouch OS 1.1.3

Gear Live, whom I must admit I had never heard of before, have posted a video of the iPhone 1.1.3 firmware (and boy do their servers seem to be playing the price right now). I recently acquired an iPod Touch, so here are a few thoughts on the impending update from the perspective of someone who probably isn't going to get to see most of them. The coolest non-iPhone specific feature looks like the curled-up-page effect, so I hope it's made available to other apps and not just Google Maps.

The ability to add Safari bookmarks to the launch screen should be really useful, but at the same time it makes me a little suspicious: it makes the web apps metaphor make more sense, allowing you to treat on-line applications as equals to those built-in, but with the advent of "proper" (native) apps supposedly only a little over a month away, should this be necessary? And shouldn't this feature have been there six months ago? Maybe it's a convenience thing, allowing you fast access to your favourite site, but in that case why should Safari get the special treatment? How about putting your favourite contacts or top songs on the launch pad, too?

I guess what I'm really stressing over is, are we going to get another fudge so we come out of Macworld with web apps still as the main method for developing for iPhone/iPod touch.

Okay, I can think of three not-so-paranoid reasons for adding the feature. Firstly, because it has been on someone's to-do list since 1.0 and so it was bound to turn up eventually. Secondly, because having got developers to spend the last six months on Mobile Safari optimised web apps and even though you've just moved the goal posts again Apple still want to throw them a bone, no matter how small. And thirdly, because if the hip and groovy kids are to be believed where it's currently at is social networking and that's happening on-line. Facebook as a pre-installed icon on the iPhone some time soon?

Blog Work & Play

I just bought a copy of the excellent Mars Edit, making use of the MacSanta deal on about its last day. I now hereby resolve to get my money's worth from it by blogging far more frequently (it's a new year resolution, don't you know).

Now all I need is a reader or two.

If You Can't Beat Them...

Okay, while I'm in an end-of-year predictive mood, let's talk about the Beatles and on-line music. I'm not actually waiting for them to release their songs on-line, but lots of other people seem to be. The big question seems to be who will they choose to favour with their back-catalogue? Is there an on-line music store big enough for the band which was bigger than God? I'll go out on a limb and guess "no".

I think that when the Beatles make their songs available next year, it will be through their own on-line store. After all, when you're dealing with digital downloads there isn't a physical supply chain to manage, so why give some other company a cut for managing hosting and payment processing. Radiohead -- joke that the In Rainbows "pay-what-you-want" scheme was -- have shown that given enough free publicity it can work. And since it's the frickin' Beatles we're talking about, I can't see a lack of publicity to be a problem. I imagine that it's only Sir Paul's divorce which is currently holding things up, but I'm sure that once he's shot of peg-leg someone need only flip a switch and they're good to go.

So there you are: more stunning predictions to follow.

Monstrous

This great article in Wired led me to this discussion of J.J. Abrams' latest project. I'm a big fan of the idea of ARGs, despite never having taken part in one. Thinking about the movie, I really hope he does come up with something original, because at the moment the discussion suggests John Wydham's The Kraken Wakes.

I shall have to start the "Hands Off Our Science Fiction" movement...

Lycra-clad Miltonic Angel

Play Digital from Channelflip TV. I'm ... simply speechless. I love it, and I don't even play video games.

The Tablet Mac (again)

So the rumours of a tablet-format Mac portable have surfaced again. I gave up expecting one a while ago (although if I ever come across a cheap Sony UX I'll definitely have a go at getting one of the OSX86 hacks running on it). The twist this time is that it may be using the iPhone branch of OS X rather than the full Mac version. I have both doubts and reservations about this. Successful as the iPhone's software keyboard seems to be (and I must admit I haven't tried it yet), I wonder how well it would cope with driving the kinds of productivity apps a larger device would need to support, as opposed to the iPhone's information-grazing "applets". With any luck, time (and Apple) will let us find out.

Maxtor OneTouch III

I purchased the Maxtor OneTouch III 500Gb hard disk, not because of Time Machine (I remain a user of the oh-so-2005 Tiger), but because of this post on TUAW, which had me scurrying off to System Profiler where I discovered that, yes, my first generation MacBook Pro did have a Segate drive with v7.01 firmware. Ho-hum.

First impressions of the OneTouch III (which, coincidentally, works just fine even if you haven't used the first two) were good. Skipping the glossy green box with its stock photo of an attractive young family creating the kind of happy digital memories you'd want to safeguard with regular backups, you get to the drive itself, which is probably best described as substantial. It's about the size and weight of a house brick -- despite having an external power supply -- and has a rubberised coating on its two largest faces which helps make holding it feel safer than if it were shiny plastic or aluminium.

Substantial is not, however, an adjective you could apply to the printed documentation, which runs to two pages each of installation instructions for both Mac and PC in about a dozen different languages. More in-depth documentation is provided on one of the three bundled CDs, the others holding Mac and Windows, and -- a latter addition -- Vista, drivers.

For a while now I have been trying to find a decent NAS backup device, the complicating factor being that I need to use it for both Mac and PCs. As the OneTouch is basically just an external hard disk, using it for both platforms proved a simpler affair. While it comes formatted as NTFS, it took only a few moments for Disk Utility to partition into two: HFS+ for the Mac and FAT32 for Windows. While OS X will see both partitions as separate drives, Windows will see only the Windows partition.

Installing the bundled software on both platforms was straight forward, as was configuring it, which was a simple matter of choosing which folders to backup, after which the initial backup is created. Here I ran into problems on the PC, with the backup failing to run, instead flicking back to the configuration screen with no error message. On a hunch I reformatted the FAT32 partition Disk Utility had created to NTFS (something I should have remembered to do anyway), after which backup ran without a hitch.

Actually, I should really mention something that had me stumped for a little while, mostly due to my failing to read the instructions and expecting things to be harder than they were. I spent a while on both computers, going through the set-up application looking for the "Backup Now" command. While it's in there, what I was missing was the eponymous OneTouch feature. A single press of the button on the front of the drive is all if takes to start a backup.

So what else is there to mention? The drive is both Firewire 400 and USB 2.0, and comes with nicely flexible cables for each. Backups are written straight into a folder on the drive, with no form of compression, which means that you can delve in at any time to recover your files.

The real test of backup is firstly, whether it is simple enough that you don't see it as a problem to backup regularly (which is apparently where Time Machine scores), and secondly how those backups perform in the unfortunate event that you need them. Only time will tell on these scores; all I can say is that so far I couldn't be happier with the OneTouch III.

The Maxtor OneTouch III 500Gb Firewire 400/USB 2.0 is available from amazon.co.uk for £113.98.

It beats "foo, bar, baz"

From the example code for componentsSeperatedByString: in the NSString Class Reference:

NSString *list = @"Norman, Stanley, Fletcher";

Well, it made me smile (even if I went on to use a NSScanner instead).

whyPhone

A couple of months ago, in a iPhone-inspired fit of making-do with what I've already got, I installed Google Maps and Opera on my K750i. Both were impressive (I have to keep reminding myself that my phone is more powerful than the first five or six computers I owned[*]), but I haven't used either since. The lack of need is one factor, but the other is... well, there's really no other way of putting it: I can't find them. I've been through all twelve of the icons on the menu screen and I swear there's no sign of them. Not a sausage. Maybe it's me. I just don't know.

[*] On the off-chance that you're interested, these were: BBC Model 'B', Spectrum +2, Atari 520STFM, Atari Falcon (yes, really), PowerMac 8200/100, and PowerBook 5300cs.

FECoder

I was thinking about pointing my three-weeks-worth of cocoa expertise at the Ironcoder 7 next week. I didn't honestly think I stood a chance, but I thought that it would be a fun experience and that it would force me to explore some interesting new corners of the API. Then I read the spoiler: You should expect the API to be new to Leopard. Well, that's me out, since I haven't upgraded yet, and it probably also rules-out anyone who isn't a paid-up ADC member, since the rest of us only got access to the 10.5 docs last week. Yes, I know it's called "Ironcoder" for a reason, but there's setting the bar high and then there's putting the bar in a locked room and only letting a few people have the key.

Jackarse

Bill Thompson on that OS X trojan:

At the moment the fake codec is being spread via porn sites, but it will quickly spread to more mainstream sites, and that's when it will get dangerous and could affect a lot of Mac users who believe that they don't need to worry about system security.

Wrong. The codec doesn't accidentally turn up on sites, it has to be placed there by the site's creators. And since doing so would constitute a criminal act, how likely is it that any "mainstream" site will do so? Does he really think that Steve Chen and Chad Hurley are going to try to supplement their Google millions with a little credit card fraud?

2b || !2b

So we're at UK iPhone day -4, and I'm wondering what to do. Should I get one? I can just about afford it, but can I justify it. Wearing my new Indie Developer hat I could pretend that it's an investment: I can begin hacking together some apps as soon as they jailbreak 1.1.2, which would give me a couple of months head-start on the design of something before the proper development kit comes out... and I would be able to say that I was there on the evening it was launched (although I can't imagine there being queues outside either the Weymouth or Dorchester O2 shops). Oh, what is a boy to do?

Babies

There's this semi-concious thing I do whenever I find out someone's date of birth, which is to count back nine months. (Yeah, I know...) Listening to the last couple of episodes of tWiT, I couldn't help noticing how many babies have been born over the last few weeks (Merlin Mann, Patrick Norton, Robert Scobel -- congratulations all round). It's been about nine months since the iPhone was announced. Eeew.

Why?

Smultron, previously my text editor of choice (because I like the single-window interface and because it's free), has, it tells me, a new version available. For Leopard only. Why? It's a text editor! What feature of Leopard does it need so desperately that it can't edit text without it?

I think that we may be on a slippery slope, where the extra ease-of-use from Objective-C 2.0 and the pressure to shoe-horn core animation into applications combine to force programmers to move to Leopard. Apple may have sold 2 million copies in a few days, but think how many Tiger (and earlier) machines that still leaves out there. For my first project (look for it early next year, details to dribble out soon) I'm aiming for 10.3.9, and so far all I've had to sacrifice is outline view bindings.

How stupid do I feel?

Something I found out the other day about AppleCare warranties which I guess everyone else already knows but I was just to stupid to realise: it turns out that the product you're trying to protect must still be within its original one-year warranty. Yeah, I know, seems obvious. So obvious in fact that Apple doesn't see the need to post this information anywhere on the Apple Store or in the copy of the Terms and Conditions which they make available on-line. It is, however, written on the side of the AppleCare box. In small grey letters.

They're in the process of refunding my money, but it still leaves me with a first-gen, one-year-and-thirteen-days-old MacBook Pro which could find itself in need of expensive warranty work at any moment.

Downloads from the Apple Store

I bought iWork `08 the other day, in serial key rather than cardboard box form, and when the e-mail invoice arrived a few days later I noticed one rather interesting thing. Rather than the UK's 17.5% VAT (sales tax) rate, it was taxed at the 21% operating in Ireland, home of Apple's European HQ. The other -- physical -- goods which I ordered at the same time appeared on a separate invoice and were taxed at the UK's standard rate. Checking back through some old invoices, the same was true of the copy of QuickTime Pro I bought last year.

The moral of the story is that those of you who are able to reclaim their VAT would be wise to consider taking the download option where available: in this case, you would be paying £45.45 + £9.55 rather than ~£46.80 + £8.20. Across large orders the savings could really add up.

I wonder if the same is true for downloads purchased in other EU countries, and also whether it applies to purchases from iTunes (although you'd probably have a job convincing the Taxman that that Led Zeppelin box set you just bought is a valid deduction).

And we're back!

Hmm... been a while, hasn't it. Expect many great new posts, until I forget again.

It's all so very exciting

I am currently not waiting inline outside any Apple store. I did consider (alas, too late) going to camp outside the one in Regent Street just so I could send a random "What queue?" post to Gizmodo or somewhere. Damn, I really wish I had. Not only would it have been deeply hilarious (you'll have to just trust me on this) but, hell, I feel really left out at the moment.

Congratulations!

A quick, slightly belated but nevertheless heartfelt "congratulations!" to my friends Behsad and Iris who had their first child, Bibi, last Sunday.

The iPhone: do I care?

Maybe that's a little harsh, but it's a question that's been floating around the back of my mind for a while now. A UK launch date has still to be announced, but the question remains. On one level, sure I'd like one. It looks a hell of a lot slicker than my current phone (a Sony-Ericsson K750i), and having both a browser and e-mail with me all the time would be great. The reason I hesitate is because of its lack of productivity apps. Maybe its because of my computer-centric way of working. I don't own an iPod, and although I occasionally think about getting one in the end I can never convince myself of the need. I guess what I really want is a small computer -- one of the UMPCs from the marketing movies, rather than any of the currently available models -- and a super mobile phone, no matter how good it's going to be, simply doesn't fulfil the same set of needs.

(Yes, this was another "Please, Apple, produce a small-form-factor tablet PC" post.)

Safari vs. Firefox

That slide from last week's keynote -- the one where the Safari piece of the web browser pie expands to swallow Firefox's slice -- has caused a bit of fuss. Here's my interpretation. There are two types of browser users, those who have a clue and decide to use something other than Internet Explorer, and those who don't. Let's consider this second group as a lost cause. Apple are gunning for the first.

And, yes, I'm sure it was meant to be provocative.

Mac OS on a UMPC

My previous -- now abandoned -- blog MacPad was dedicated to the idea that Mac OS X would make the perfect operating system for a UMPC-style device. It seems that I'm not alone, even if Apple doesn't see it that way. Sev7en ("This is not going to have a happy ending"?) has provided detailed, step-by-step instructions for installing 10.4.8 on a Sony UX.

So how did it work out? I'd give it a rating of "so-so". The touch screen works, which should mean you get the full Ink handwriting experience. However, the Sony's internal WiFi isn't supported. This is the deal-breaker for me. If that had worked I would be looking around for a UX of my own right now. They say that external USB sticks work but that really isn't the elegant solution I'm looking for. As soon as they find a driver set that works I think I'm going to be trying it myself.

Touching

I've noticed something odd happening to me of late: I keep getting the urge to touch my MacBook Pro's screen. It's most compelling when I get a call on Skype. There's just something about the way the Answer/Reject buttons appear layered over the display that makes me want to give them a quick tap. I should really look into touch-sensetive screen solutions. Or just get some help.

Did Apple just jump the shark?

So third party iPhone application development is going to be via web applications. Sigh. Here are some random, ill-informed thoughts provided solely for the purpose of (with any luck) being proven wrong:

Access to iPhone features: Someone (sorry, forget who) has already suggested that special URL handlers (eg. a "dial:1234" link to phone a number) may be made available. This means iPhone-only versions of web applications. I hope the client id string in its version of Safari is easily recognisable.

Look and feel: Okay, so the OS X H.I.G. seems to have gone out the window a while ago (although it looked like Leopard may go some way to remedying this), but on the web there are roughly as many different user interfaces as there are sites. Access to common style sheets and AJAX and server-side libraries could fix this, but so far there's been no mention of them.

Data: The thing with the iPhone is that most of the data you may want to manipulate is on the phone, not on the server. Best case allows apps to automatically access your address book and other data, but means lots of round-tripping (that noise you here are AT&T execs rubbing their hands together in glee, thinking of all that extra data traffic). Worse case is a duplicate, un-syncronised sets of names for each web app. Smart use of .Mac could sort this -- but what's the betting it won't.

Money: As Mac OS Ken observed, how are people going to get paid for this? Sure, the guys at 37 Signals are happy enough, but what about ("proper") Mac developers. It's not just a case of new APIs and different languages, selling web apps is a whole different business model. And I guess you can forget about those neat little free apps which make life on the Mac so much easier: add the cost of hosting and the time and effort to maintain a server on top of the time needed to develop the app and the talented hobbyist is unlikely to bother.

Finding these apps: Nothing along these lines has been announced yet. Some kind of page on apple.com -- quickly linked to with just a single click from Safari on the iPhone -- listing "certified" iPhone web apps would be nice. I've complained in the past about how tricky it can be finding indie Mac apps, but I can only imagine that, without some heavy help from Apple, it's going to be twice as hard for these guys to be found.

This is less than a third-rate solution, but the really unbelievable thing is the way Apple is playing it. Their "sweet" solution is, frankly, terrible, but their decision to sell it like this is worse.

Another Two-Bit Lawsuit

John Gruber posted this link to two images designed to show the difference between 24-(3x8-)bit and 18(3x6-)bit LCD displays. As far as I can tell, my MacBook Pro Core (not-2) Duo -- which I believe is the same model as one of the laptops mentioned in the suit -- has a 24-bit display. Curious.

Some Indie Mac Thoughts - Part Two

...isn't going to happen. Although, I guess that, technically, this is part two. Wow. Do I keep my word or what?

That Mac and PC Sound

The really quite excellent David Mitchell and Robert Webb -- better know in some quarters as the British Mac and PC from those Apple ads -- started a new run of their show That Mitchell and Webb Sound on Radio 4 this afternoon. It should be available to 'listen again' sometime soon from the show's site, in case you missed it or live in one of those dark regions of the world beyond Radio 4's reach. Best hurry: they're usually only available for one week after broadcast.

Some Indie Mac Thought - Part One

Daniel Jalkut over at Red Sweater Software posted this idea about a co-operative advertising scheme for the independent Mac developer community. I’m not currently a Mac developer myself, but I hope to take my first steps in that direction some time in the near future (just as soon as my ideas solidify and I stop learning new languages which aren’t objective C - it was ruby this week), and over the last few months I’ve given quite a bit of thought to the problems associated with advertising your product when you’re an independent. At heart it’s a matter of getting your software in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Let me digress...

I’m old enough to have heard tales of a time when teenagers were becoming millionaires selling by mail-order programs they wrote in their bedrooms. I’m not quite old enough, however, to be sure whether these tales are true or merely a rose-tinted view of some more innocent time. And they were more innocent times back at the dawn of the personal computer era. The business was new to everyone and consumers didn’t know that software should come in a big cardboard box from off the shelves of their local PC warehouse, rather than through the post from an advert in the back of their favourite computer mag. But times changed. And then they changed back again. The internet - as we were repeatedly told at one point - remade the level playing field. Take a look at a selection of software company web sites - some mac indie, some “professional” - and ignoring the range of products on offer you’ll see that the indies are every bit as adept at putting on a good face.

(This doesn’t seem to hold for Windows indies, though. A quick tip: it doesn’t say much for your software if you need Google AdSense to support your site.)

In a comment to Daniel’s post (a rare instance of my sticking my head above the parapet), I half-made the suggestion that instead of trying to attract customers from other indie developer’s sites - people who in all likelihood if they are interested in what you sell should be able to find it on their own - it may be a better use of your resources (and yes, I know Daniel’s idea was to make it free, but time is a resource too) to try and snag some of the less mac-savvy, the switchers or new-to-computer users. I introduced a thought experiment involving the readers own theoretical parents. Without you there to guide them, where would they look? I was suggesting a single, well-publicised catalogue which could bring together all (or just most) indie mac products. But that’s the subject for another post. Let’s go off on a tangent.

Say that, instead of software, I want to get my band’s album in front of as many eyes (ears. besides as many ears? into?) as possible. (Please note: I have no band, and the very idea that I might have is laughable to anyone who knows me.) What are my options? Well, there are a couple of services which will get you onto iTunes and Amazon. How about if I want my book published? (More likely but still laughable.) Well, there’s lulu.com. Now, I know a little more about lulu.com than the music example, so let’s concentrate on it instead.

For those of you who don’t know, lulu.com runs a print-on-demand service for books (and a few other services, but we’ll concentrate on books for now). You upload your manuscript and should anyone wish to buy it they can. You set the price and when an order is received a copy is printed and dispatched and you get a royalty. So far so what. But the best bit is that for a one-off fee of around $100 your book is also assigned an ISDN code (just like proper books have) and is added to a number of catalogues. So wh- and to Amazon. To reiterate: $100 gets you onto Amazon.

Returning to software, which developer wouldn’t happily pay $100 for access to a market that size. Just think, after giving up on Wall*Mart and starting to wonder whether their shiny white new toy may be able to help them buy more software for their shiny white new toy, this is one of the first places your parents are likely to look, because they can remember some people talking about this Amazon thing. (Plus, you only need to give Safari an “a” and it’ll suggest you go there.)

Okay, this being the Mac development community there’ll be some grumbling. We’ll ignore all those “but how am I going to support all these new users?” - with the extra money you earn you can now afford to bus in some Mexicans to do support for you. (You may even be able to afford to do things properly and fly in some Poles.) Sure, Amazon will want to take a cut, as will whoever runs the scheme. But just think of the extra volume. And if it works on the lulu.com nothing-down model (except the $100) then what have you got to loose?

So, like Daniel, I’m just tossing this idea out there to see if it gets any feedback. (Yeah, like this site would ever even get any readers...) There are lots of details to work out, like whether the product needs to be in physical (CD) form (which is just so twentieth-century), but I don’t see anything insurmountable. After all, there are already examples out there of this model being applied in similar markets. But to get it off the ground it will need the support of a community. And luckily we’ve already got one of those.

WiFi iPods Before the End of the Year

The reason I thought we’d never see these: aeroplanes. Even providing a simple switch for ‘flight mode’ seems a complication too far on a product which Apple have kept resolutely simple. For a similar reason I expect to see the music playing half of the iPhone able to operate completely independently.

Leopard Delayed Until October

Right, that’s it. I’m off to buy a copy of Vista.

Apple to Release Washer/Dryer Real Soon

Normally I wouldn’t give a story like this a second glance, but this time it comes from a reputable source, none other than MacUser’s Dan Moren. Specs to follow shortly, I hope. Either way, you may want to hold off on those major white goods purchases until you see what else the lads from Cupertino have up there sleeves. I know what’ll be tumbling my smalls in the very near future.

It Just Worked

John Gruber over at Daring Fireball posted some facts about AAC, Apple’s audio format of choice for iTunes and the iPod. Making the point that this isn’t an Apple-only closed format, he gives a short list (culled from Wikipedia) of other devices which support AAC, which includes Sony Ericsson phones. I have a K750i on to which I have copied a few tracks (I only listen to them when I exercise, which means they hardly ever get listen to), and reading this it struck me that I never once stopped to think whether these tracks ripped via iTunes would or wouldn’t work on the phone. Don’t you love it when things just work?

I Need to Loose Weight

I'm 5'10" and 14st 11lb. My BMI is 29.76. I'm finding myself getting out of breath far more than I used to. I really need to loose some weight. Working backwards, it would appear that 14st 2lb is my optimum weight. I’m sure I was that a few months ago. Secondary aim: get less flabby, too.

What’s the Opposite of Twitter?

Here’s the idea: there should be a service where you can tell all your friends what you should be doing at this moment in time. Is anti-twitter.com already taken? Here’s my current list:

• Write a Mac OS X application - Don’t know what type of application. Maybe a RSS news reader. We need another one of those.


• Finish writing my game - Being done in Dim3, which is a really great system with an excellent community supporting it.


• Install OS X on a tablet PC - Since I don’t have a tablet PC I’ll just have to wait for Apple to release one.


• Write my first novel - I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve started. Maybe one day I’ll get past the first paragraph.

Okay, time for another game of Quinn.

It Starts with an Earthquake

This may be one of the signs of the impending apocalypse: I just got an actual genuine piece of news from the British Mac podcast. Now, I’ve really enjoyed British Mac ever since I found it on iTunes a couple of weeks ago. Will Green is a top bloke, even if most of the time it doesn’t seem like he really knows what he’s talking about (or has ever heard of one of these “Mac” thingies). If John Shuttleworth did a tech podcast, this is what it would sound like. I’m even willing to overlook the use of the .com while britishmac.co.uk is still free (something which normally makes me come over all Al Murray).

Anyway, the news was that we Europeans get to choose to have our new octo-mac pre-installed with OS X Server and a 10 client licence for free, while the Americans have to pay $499. It almost sounds like a good deal, if you ignore the fact that the same configuration MacPro (dual-quad-Xeons, 4Gb, a single 750Gb drive, basic GeForce 7300 GT and all the standard trimmings) costs £3297 over here but only $4995 over there. That’s around £2775. VAT brings the prices closer, but there’s still a difference there.

Now, I’m going back to Googling for all combinations of “big blue pather/tiger/leopard” songs.

Falling Out Like Pixie Teeth

Coverage of the Apple[1]/EMI/DRM thing has continued apace with a piece by music journalist David Quantic on BBC Radio 4's flagship current affairs behemoth The Now Show. Good analysis with some of the more confusing terminology carefully explained (DRM: ‘It’s what we in the industry call “a bit tight”.’).

[1] ‘That’s the one who make the nice computers, not the one who keep releasing “new” Beatles albums.’

DRM and the Movies

This is getting a fair amount of discussion in the wake of the iTunes/EMI no more DRM deal. Steve (that’s Mr Jobs to you) seems to be on record as saying something to the effect that video is a completely different beast to music. The argument seems to run that while music isn’t sold in proper shops without any form of copy protection, movies - by which they mean DVDs - always have been. Okay as far as it goes, but inaccurate, especially for anyone with a long memory. Before DVDs there were these things called videos, and as far as I can remember they had no copy protection at all. In fact, I’d guess that preventing someone from copying them, given a simple double deck recorder, is pretty much impossible.

This was the world into which DVDs were released just over ten years ago, and from the start they had built-in copy protection. (I think we can make an educated guess and say that, had the music industry seen the introduction of a new technology at about that time, they would have made sure that it was as tightly locked down as well.) So it’s probably fair to say that copy protection within the movie industry is now firmly entrenched. After over a decade of selling copy protected movies without provoking a consumer backlash, what motivation does the industry have to change now?

My Current Favourite Waste of Time

I really souldn't've downloaded Quinn. It's all just too convenient, sitting there in my Recent Items menu (and it never seems to leave the Recent Items menu...), huskily whispering “play me, you know you want to”. Oh, the hours and hours I’ll never get back.

Hmm... time for another quick game, me thinks.

Cuts? What cuts?

I was listening to the eMacCast just now (I've really got into podcasts over the last week or so - what can I say, I'm a late bloomer...) and they mentioned some good news for us over here on the stylish side of the Atlantic. Apparently the price of iPods has dropped recently. This got me thinking about the drop in Cinema Display prices also announced today. The UK Apple Store seemed to be lagging a little behind its US cousin earlier today, but its been updated now, which kind of destroys the point I was going to make about price discrepancies, but I think the point is still there to be made.

In the US Apple Store, the 20”, 23” and 30” Cinema Displays are $599, $899 and $1799 respectively. In the UK they are £399, £599 and £1199 (all including VAT). According to Yahoo Finance, the £/$ exchange rate is £1 = $1.9706. Even working with the tourist rate of £1 = $1.8821 and rounding it down a bit these UK prices equate to around $750, $1126 and $2254. Adjusting for VAT gives $638, $958 and $1918, which is still quite some difference. So maybe it isn’t only songs on iTunes which are overpriced over here.

Still no Beatles. Good.

Firstly, the idea that the Beatles would choose to appear on iTunes - at all, never mind exclusively - never made any sense to me. It always seemed more like wishfully thinking on the part of Apple fans. Don’t forget that it was only last year that Apple Corp and Apple Comp were slugging it out in court. I don’t think that there’s any love lost between the two companies. Right from the day Apple’s founders took the name of the Beatles’ company for their own this clash of egos was destined to happen. Apple Comp lost the first round but now look to have won the match. So unless it was part of their settlement, I don’t see the Beatles ever appearing on iTunes.

But this is a good thing. Too much success can lead to complacency. Steve Jobs may be a big Beatles fan but he’s an even bigger Steve Jobs fan. Apple needs to remember that things don’t always have to go their way, and it’s better this happens with a (relatively) small thing like this than with some major project (such as the iPhone). There is a certain arrogance about Apple’s actions which, if left unchecked, can only mean bad things for consumers.