Apple was expected to unveil hip new versions of its iPod MP3 music players yesterday at a theatrical “Let’s Rock” event, as rival Microsoft strives to focus the spotlight on its Zune devices.
Apple set devotees and the Internet abuzz with a trademark minimalist invitation to a press event in downtown San Francisco.
The e-mail invitation sent late last week read “Let’s Rock” and contained a brightly colored silhouette of a person leaping enthusiastically while listening to an iPod.
The only other information given was the time the press conference starts and directions to the theater where it was taking place.
“The best bet is they are going to refresh the iPod Touch and the iPod Nano,” said analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley.
Enderle and others tracking the market expect Apple to raise iPod Touch technology to the level of the iconic California company’s iPhones, offering all capabilities except mobile telephone service.
Apple was expected to switch the shape of its Nano models back to slim gum sticks from the squat design it tried in order to feature a small screen for video viewing.
Speculation preceding the event included the possibilities that Apple would announce another software patch to fix connectivity problems with its new iPhone 3G models.
Analysts were also wondering whether Apple would also announce new versions of Macintosh laptop or iMac computers.
There had been reports of shortages of iMacs, and Apple is known to let supplies of devices clear out of warehouses and stores before introducing new models.
Microsoft was also evidently anticipating Apple plans to invigorate its iPod line for the year-end holiday shopping season.
A day ahead of the Apple press event, the US technology giant announced a revamped line of Zune MP3 players and software upgrades that make listening to music on the devices even more “social.”
The Zune line-up is being expanded to include devices with 16 gigabytes of flash memory selling for US$200 each and a US$250 model with a hard drive offering 120 gigabytes of memory space.
Free software updates will let people instantly buy songs they hear on the devices’ built-in FM radios and wirelessly download music from the Zune Marketplace without having to connect to computers.
“We’ve always known that radio is the primary source for discovering new music,” Clear Channel Radio CEO John Hogan said.
“Microsoft’s decision to marry music discovery and delivery does two things: enables consumers to instantly satisfy their passion and enables FM song tagging to be enjoyed by all radio listeners, everywhere,” he said.
Microsoft software will also let Zune users customize radio “channels” that pick songs based on their tastes. Zune software will also enable listing to audio books.
Zune users will have the option of buying songs individually or paying US$15 monthly for “Zune Pass” subscriptions, allowing them to download or stream as much music as they wish.
The new Zune models and features will begin rolling out next Tuesday, almost two years after Microsoft launched the devices in November 2006.
“Zune has been on the market a while and it is about time for Microsoft to refresh that line,” Enderle said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE TRAINING: The ministry said 87.5 percent of the apprehended Chinese agents were reported by service members they tried to lure into becoming spies Taiwanese organized crime, illegal money lenders, temples and civic groups are complicit in Beijing’s infiltration of the armed forces, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a report yesterday. Retired service members who had been turned to Beijing’s cause mainly relied on those channels to infiltrate the Taiwanese military, according to the report to be submitted to lawmakers ahead of tomorrow’s hearing on Chinese espionage in the military. Chinese intelligence typically used blackmail, Internet-based communications, bribery or debts to loan sharks to leverage active service personnel to do its bidding, it said. China’s main goals are to collect intelligence, and develop a
RSS