Oh, well. When I saw earlier pictures of the Boston Apple Store, I thought they were going for a Green Monster look. Turns out that look was pre-opening construction covering. Too bad.
Pictures via Gizmodo
With Apple now delivering first run movies through iTunes on the same day as DVD releases the US Postal Service is once again preparing for rate hikes to offset the loss of revenue that they are anticipating with the projected decline in business from NetFlix and BlockBuster. According to a USPS spokesperson:
This will hurt. This will hurt consumers in their pocket books. It is more than apparent that Apple's recent move to deliver first run movies on the same day as they are released to the DVD market, Apple will certainly take away from NetFlix and BlockBuster's home delivery services. We've come to depend on those services for major revenue. In fact, we keep trying to find ways to charge those services more in order keep the stream flowing. Apple is going to be responsible for the largest postage rate increase customers have seen in recent years. If it wouldn't help their branding, I'd say we'd consider putting the Apple logo on a stamp so that our customers would know who is responsible. Maybe we'll put Steve Jobs on a stamp.
Apple announced today that they were going to make first run movies available the same day as the DVD releases hit store shelves. Coming in at a price of $14.99, speculation is that this will hit Walmart, Netflix, BlockBuster and other retailers hard. Obviously Apple is trying to boost its Apple TV platform, and I am sure it will, although there is some distance to travel there.
In my view this is just another step in a long term strategy to own it all on Apple's part. Of course when they can eventually break out of some of the current DRM restrictions and make these kinds of purchases and rentals more portable (I can carry my DVD to my next door neighbor's house) they'll see some real success.
Lots of excitement over a dull past weekend when word got out that Wall St Journal tech maven Walt Mossberg said there would be a 3G iPhone in 60 days. Well, Walt is recanting a bit saying that he has no knowledge beyond what anyone can pick up on the net these days. His reasoning is sound. Why would he not report it in the WSJ?
I think Jobs got to him. Water boarding can be tough to survive you know.
Some Sunday morning reading to share.
Charlton Heston passed away. No doubt he was a great and no doubt in his later years he became a political lightening rod. Remembered for Moses, El Cid, Ben Hur, Planet of the Apes, and many others, my favorite Heston role was in the relatively small supporting role of the Player King in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. Summed up so much.
The tech world is falling over itself because the Moses of tech journalism, Walt Mossberg, says there will be a 3G iPhone in 60 days. As I recall both Jobs and the AT&T honcho have earlier both said that will happen this year. And June does make sense. With the news that iPhones are out of stock in Apple Stores, I don't know why anyone is surprised by this supposed confirmation.
Ernie the Attorney talks about Seth Godin's book, The Dip, that "teaches you when to quit (and when to stick)." I need to read this.
A superfast Internet coming soon? Not until they can figure out how to slow it down, throttle it back, and make money from it.
The AP took a look at ISP contracts and Terms of Use and discovered that, although rarely enforced, you basically have no rights if the ISP decides to lower the boom. Anyone surprised by this? If you are, you're the reason these sorts of agreements exist.
Crunch Gear links to an amazing report on Guiyu, a town in China that is strangled by high tech waste. The pictures are stunning.
The US is starting to tout its plan to hit back against Cyber attacks. Why do I think we'll lose this one?
Lloyds of London might have to cut back premiums because of a lack of natural disasters recently. It sucks when your business model is betting on disaster sometimes.
Mate Ian Dixon has put some of his music on line. Some good stuff there, Ian.
I love working with actors (ok, sometimes it is a love/hate thing) because you come in contact with some many great people and get to touch so many different spheres of life. Every now and then though, I get an opportunity to work with an actor who is also a geek freak or gadget head like myself. Elliot Dash, who is playing Hoke Coleburn in our production of Driving Miss Daisy, is not only one of my favorite actors to work with (he's outstanding as Hoke, and was amazing as Othello) but he's a bigger geek and gadget lover than I am. Here's a shot of us at the theatre from last night's rehearsal getting all touchy with the the iPod Touch.
Fun stuff.
My, oh, my. Someone is actually footing the bill for this. At least I assume so. Let's see we've been seeing reports for at least 2 years, that I know of, that iPods can be an attractive target for criminals. Now, The Urban Institute, a DC Think Tank, is reportedly saying that the rise in crime during 2005 and 2006 can be blamed on iPods.
I love that the SFGate article points out that the argument has holes. LIke big ones.
Again. Someone paid for this. Is anyone doing any thinking in this particular tank?
Via TechDirt
So, much for that "we give you the entire Internet" thing.
A CNN Report has Apple saying that Adobe's Flash Player isn't good enough to work with the iPhone. Coming right before the much anticipated release of the SDK for the iPhone, this is going to be sour news for quite a few folks and the hueing and crying has already begun. So, is this an opening for Microsoft's Silverlight? Is this a major setback, and if so, for who? Going to be interesting to find out.
Some Sunday morning reading to share.
I've been very busy this week, but I'm enjoying catching up on the Davos coverage from Robert Scoble and Michael Arrington. I wonder if anything substantive ever comes out of conferences like this, except for the participants?
Bill Gates' talk at Davos on a New Approach to Capitalism in the 21st Century is good reading and good viewing. Of course I always look at thoughts like this with the old axiom in mind, "the length of the journey depends on how much you want to make it."
The NY Times looks at gadgets that listen and obey. I still think this is far off from mass adoption.
Jonathan Sidener in the SanDiego Union-Tribune looks at how cell phones are transforming everything. I'm not sure they've mastered multi-tasking as he claims, but they might be on their way.
Amazon looks like it is serious about taking on Apple. They are going worldwide with the DRM Free model. Pressure point? I think so.
I, Cringely on Moore's Law, chips, and heat.
Steve Laser pens a controversial piece saying the HTC Advantage is the ultimate UMPC.
Caroline Kennedy endorses Barack Obama. Will that matter to anyone?
The sky is falling! Actually, not the sky, but a dead spy satellite will be crashing on the planet sometime soon. Gravity always wins.
The artwork accompanying this weekend's Sunday Morning Reading is from Chris Harrison's Visualizing the Bible.
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