Apple Inc reached an agreement with Universal Music Group, the largest record label, setting the stage for its new service to let users access song libraries on multiple devices, two people with knowledge of the talks said.
The new music service, enabling customers to store their music on Apple’s servers, will be previewed today (or Monday in the US) by CEO Steve Jobs at Apple’s annual developers conference in San Francisco, the two said, who declined to be identified because the deals are not public.
Apple’s deal with Vivendi SA’s Universal Music, whose artists include Lady Gaga and U2, follows agreements with Sony Corp’s music unit, Warner Music Group Corp and EMI Group Ltd. By moving the files into the so-called cloud, songs will be available on devices such as the iPhone and iPad without users having to plug in and synchronize the gadgets. Instead, tracks can be streamed from anywhere with a Web connection.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
To start, the service will be available only for songs that have been purchased through iTunes, the two said. Later in the year, Apple plans to introduce a US$25-per-year (NT$718) plan so music purchased outside iTunes can be stored on its servers and streamed through an Internet connection.
Under the agreements with the labels, revenue from the cloud service will be split between Apple and the music companies. Apple will collect 30 percent, while the record labels will get 58 percent and owners of publishing rights will get 12 percent, the two said.
Apple last week discussed its new iCloud service at the developers conference, and also talked about upgrades to its software for Mac personal computers and mobile devices.
(BLOOMBERG)
兩名消息人士透露,蘋果公司與全球最大唱片公司環球音樂集團達成協議,為讓使用者在多台裝置上存取音樂資料庫的新服務做準備。
以協議不公開為由拒絕具名的消息人士表示,蘋果總裁史帝夫‧賈伯斯將在今天(美國時間星期一)於舊金山舉行的年度開發商會議,預展這項可讓顧客將他們的音樂儲存在蘋果伺服器上的全新音樂服務。
隸屬於維芳迪集團的環球音樂旗下藝人包括女神卡卡與U2樂團,蘋果在與此集團達成共識前,已與索尼公司音樂部門、華納唱片公司,以及科藝百代集團敲定協議。將檔案送上所謂的雲端,用戶即使不用連線同步電子小玩意,也能在iPhone與iPad上取得音樂。只要有網路連線,歌曲可在任何地方串流播送。
消息人士透露,這項服務起初將僅適用於已透過iTunes購買的歌曲。今年下半年,蘋果計畫推出一項年繳二十五美元(新台幣七百一十八元)的方案,讓在iTunes以外購買的音樂,也可以儲存在其伺服器,並能透過網路連線串流。
消息人士指出,根據和唱片業者達成的協議,雲端服務的盈餘將與蘋果與音樂公司拆帳。蘋果將獲得百分之三十,唱片業者百分之五十八,而版權所有者將分得百分之十二。
蘋果上週表示將在開發商會議上討論iCloud新服務,也提到將麥金塔個人電腦與行動裝置的軟體升級事宜。
(彭博社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more convenient. However, where do these devices end up after you replace them? In fact, the issue of electronic waste is a growing global concern. According to the United Nations, in 2019 alone, we generated an astonishing 53.6 million tons of e-waste—an average of 7.3kg per person. Projections hint at the figure soaring to 110
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be