iTunes Russia; no iPhone China talks; battery suit; Apple TV 2.0.2

[AppleInsider]

Websites suggest Apple will introduce its iTunes Store to Russia. However, China Mobile is dampening hopes in its own country that isn't discussing the iPhone. Also, reports have Apple stores coming to New Orleans in the US and Bristol in England, while Apple has issued a fix for the iTunes .

Site posting suggests iTunes in Russia

Long absent in the Asian country, Apple may be ready with a more official Russian presence with an iTunes Store, according to new claims made by the regional IT site CNews.

The publication notes that two websites, iMacintosh.ru and iTunes-store.ru, both refer to apple.com and apple.ru e-mail addresses for support in their Internet registries. Both also proclaim "iTunes Store Russia" and list April 21st as the launch date for the store.

Billboards around Moscow also refer to the same timeframe. However, all the sites are also connected to Apple IMC, Russia's primary Apple reseller, rather than the Cupertino, Calif.-based Mac maker.

Apple hasn't commented on the report and typically doesn't pre-announce specific dates for iTunes Store openings, casting some doubt on the apparent introduction.

China Mobile refutes claims of iPhone talks

China's chief wireless carrier, China Mobile, isn't in any discussions to carry the iPhone, company chairman Wang Jianzhou has said this weekend.

The executive explains that Apple's business approach still prevents any discussion. Although not mentioned in the report, China Mobile has repeatedly said it couldn't accept revenue sharing as a matter of Chinese policy.

Still, Wang reiterates that the "door will remain open" if the demand exists.

Apple stores expected in New Orleans, western UK

At least two of Apple's future retail stores will target very wide gaps in otherwise well-served countries, ifo Apple Store reports.

The highest-profile among these will be the firm's first New Orleans area store. An outlet is now planned for the Lakeside Shopping Center in the Metairie area just north of the main city and is understood to be in the works now that the city's population is recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Such a store, which doesn't yet have an opening date, will be just the second after the Baton Rouge location.

Simultaneously, a Bristol store in western Great Britain is reportedly planned for before the end of this year that will fill a large void between existing shops.

The retail location is most likely to surface near (but not inside) the Broadmead shopping area, according to ifo sources.

Apple buries hatchet over battery lawsuit

Rather than face a trial, Apple has agreed to settle a lawsuit regarding a battery fire in Japan.

An Osaka couple accused Apple in July 2007 of manufacturing a defective battery that caught fire and scorched both the husband and the carpet. Apple Japan has been willing to come to an agreement but has insisted that a court decide the amount: the two million Yen (roughly $20,000) originally sought is excessive, the Mac designer says.

The final terms remain private, though Sony is also implicated in the settlement and is known to have produced more than 9 million vulnerable batteries that required a global recall by Apple and other computer vendors.

Apple TV 2.0.2

Apple tonight has quietly launched firmware version 2.0.2 for its Apple TV media hub.

The update, available through the device's built-in update utility, isn't accompanied by release documentation but is currently believed to offer bug fixes that may address network reliability using 802.11n wireless.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[bmson]

iTunes store in Russia and there's not an iTunes store in Iceland.
This makes me angry.

They have said that all of western europe and scandinavia have iTunes store but we don't have ITS in Iceland so that's not true.

I'm so pissed, we want ITS here.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by bmson

iTunes store in Russia and there's not an iTunes store in Iceland.
This makes me angry.

They have said that all of western europe and scandinavia have iTunes store but we don't have ITS in Iceland so that's not true.

I'm so pissed, we want ITS here.

What does availability of iTunes in an Asian country (as also noted in the article, see first sentence under first subheading) have to do with you guys?

[skel]

It's capital and most of the population lives in Europe. To be exact it's a Eurasian country.

yahoo answers -
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...3043552AA2Cz0L

wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia

CIA World Factbook -
https://www.cia.gov/library/publicat...k/geos/rs.html

[iPhelim]

Originally Posted by skel

It's capital and most of the population lives in Europe. To be exact it's a Eurasian country.

Well yes, but the bulk of the country is in Asia.


Anyone notice this in the first paragraph of the article?

"while Apple has issued a fix for the iTunes ."

A fix for THE iTunes?

[skel]

Originally Posted by iPhelim

Well yes, but the bulk of the country is in Asia.


Anyone notice this in the first paragraph of the article?

"while Apple has issued a fix for the iTunes ."

A fix for THE iTunes?

But very few asian people live there and even less will use iTunes there. :-)

[nevenmrgan]

Originally Posted by bmson

iTunes store in Russia and there's not an iTunes store in Iceland.
This makes me angry.

Population of Russia: 142,000,000
Population of Iceland: 316,000

[Foo2]

Why should China Mobile "cow-tow" to an innovation leader like Apple, when China Mobile can pretend to clone the iPhone or--even better--steal iPhone technology and market it as their own?

[Superbass]

Originally Posted by skel

But very few asian people live there and even less will use iTunes there. :-)

Actually, according to the CIA World Factbook (your own link) the location of Russia is:

"Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean", which doesn't imply Europe at all.

You may not like to think of Russians as Asian because of some racist ideas, but Russia is, in fact, part of Asia, so people born there are in fact Asians.

[MacTel]

Originally Posted by nevenmrgan

Population of Russia: 142,000,000
Population of Iceland: 316,000

Percentage of population that pay for music.
Russia: 0%
Iceland: 100%

Now that's priceless.

[Buck]

Whois info for both of those sites looks very shady. Typically they'd provide some Apple-related info such as the IMC or just your regular Apple info, but those list some "private person" as the owner and only the administrative emails lead to official sites. Compare for example with ipod.ru.
And... iMacintosh? Yuck.

[Walter Slocombe]

Got an "update software" announcement on my aTV yesterday, I'm in the UK soI thought it might be aTV take 2, so didnt do the update, any news on take 2 for the UK?

or is this just a bug fix update?

[skel]

Originally Posted by Superbass

Actually, according to the CIA World Factbook (your own link) the location of Russia is:

"Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean", which doesn't imply Europe at all.

You may not like to think of Russians as Asian because of some racist ideas, but Russia is, in fact, part of Asia, so people born there are in fact Asians.

I have nothing against asians, but you're wrong. Most of the population of Russia lives in it's european part, and yes huge part of Russia in in Asia, but it's incorrect to call Russia an asian country. Open the map and see yourself - it's so big that part is in Europe, part is in Asia. Correct term for this is Eurasian. Russian culture is european even in it's far east regions and have nothing to do with Asia.

[gem]

Originally Posted by skel

I have nothing against asians, but you're wrong. Most of the population of Russia lives in it's european part, and yes huge part of Russia in in Asia, but it's incorrect to call Russia an asian country. Open the map and see yourself - it's so big that part is in Europe, part is in Asia. Correct term for this is Eurasian. Russian culture is european even in it's far east regions and have nothing to do with Asia.

Russia is BOTH asian and European! The quote above says so!!! It says the area West of the Urals is Europe - which includes both Moscow and St Petersburg. People from these cities consider themselves to be European and they consider those in the far east of the country to be asian. It is not a race issue it is simple geography. It is stupid to refer to Russia as an Asian country as it is both european and asian therefore it is eurasian, but if you are thinking about who is most likely going to be making use of the software and referring to adverts in moscow it would be more correct to call it European rather than Asian but the best would be Eurasian. Trust me on this one my boyfriend is Russian and his entire family are in moscow, every single one of them and their friends would agree on this. It is only stupid americans who would think otherwise as they have never gotten over the racism towards russia from the cold war (as shown in pretty much every american film containing russian bad guys)

[abrooks]

Originally Posted by Walter Slocombe

Got an "update software" announcement on my aTV yesterday, I'm in the UK soI thought it might be aTV take 2, so didnt do the update, any news on take 2 for the UK?

or is this just a bug fix update?

Take 2 update has been available worldwide since February, doesn't matter where you live.

My Apple TV happily updated to 2.0.2 last night, and I'm in the UK

[shawnathan]

iPhone in Canada please. Getting tired of asking nicely.

[Kishan]

I am hopeful that the 2.0.2 update fixes some of the 802.11n networking problems that the 2.0.1 update seemed to have caused. My ATV's ability to stay connected to my network was severely compromised and has limited my use of the device since the 2.0.1 update.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by gem

Russia is BOTH asian and European! The quote above says so!!! It says the area West of the Urals is Europe - which includes both Moscow and St Petersburg. People from these cities consider themselves to be European and they consider those in the far east of the country to be asian. It is not a race issue it is simple geography. It is stupid to refer to Russia as an Asian country as it is both european and asian therefore it is eurasian, but if you are thinking about who is most likely going to be making use of the software and referring to adverts in moscow it would be more correct to call it European rather than Asian but the best would be Eurasian. Trust me on this one my boyfriend is Russian and his entire family are in moscow, every single one of them and their friends would agree on this. It is only stupid americans who would think otherwise as they have never gotten over the racism towards russia from the cold war (as shown in pretty much every american film containing russian bad guys)

Oh, I don't know about 'stupid Americans,' but the simple fact is unless someone decides to redraw maps and redo globes and redefines continents, everything from Papua New Guinea to Israel and Mauritius to Russia is formally in the continent called 'Asia.'

Your familial state of mind may not admit it or like it, but 'Eurasia' does not formally exist on a map, it is a concept. It is like saying 'New England' or 'Balkans' or 'Middle East.'

[phasornc]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Long absent in the Asian country, Apple may be ready with a more official Russian presence with an iTunes Store

Okay yes, 75% of Russia[1] is in Asia, but the 25% that is in Europe has a land mass of 3,960,000 km2 and a population of 106,037,143. That makes it the largest nation in Europe in land and population.[2] I also have nothing against Asia, but I wouldn't say Apple is targeting an Asian market with this move.

[1] http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/c...e/eurlarge.htm (The big cities of Russia are mainly in the geologic European Plain)

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe (Detail of how population and land is distributed in Russia)

[Gaijin de Moscu]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Oh, I don't know about 'stupid Americans,' but the simple fact is unless someone decides to redraw maps and redo globes and redefines continents, everything from Papua New Guinea to Israel and Mauritius to Russia is formally in the continent called 'Asia.'

Your familial state of mind may not admit it or like it, but 'Eurasia' does not formally exist on a map, it is a concept. It is like saying 'New England' or 'Balkans' or 'Middle East.'

But you guys are arguing from two different perspectives. She says Russia isn't Asian in its culture; you say it's Asian by geography. Both of you are right.

As a Russian myself, born in Asia, and married to a Japanese wife, I don't see Russia as Asian. I see it as Asiatic.

But for the sake of the iTunes market, it's not Asian at all, regardless of where its unpopulated landmass lies. Try flying over Russia at night, you'll see it.

As for Russians not paying for their music... it's changing. Many of folks I know had to open fake American iTunes accounts to *buy* music and other content. I'd love a legal iTunes service here. We have many rich people here. Our market size shouldn't be under-estimated.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Oh, I don't know about 'stupid Americans,' but the simple fact is unless someone decides to redraw maps and redo globes and redefines continents, everything from Papua New Guinea to Israel and Mauritius to Russia is formally in the continent called 'Asia.'

Your familial state of mind may not admit it or like it, but 'Eurasia' does not formally exist on a map, it is a concept. It is like saying 'New England' or 'Balkans' or 'Middle East.'

In similar ways, Europe really "doesn't exist" except politically speaking. Europe really isn't a continent, and hasn't been considered such for quite some time, that part has been mistaught. The idea of continent has to be distorted for Europe to be called a continent in its own. Eurasia isn't a concept, it's basically the name of the landmass (continent) on which that all these countries call home. It might not be on map showing political boundaries, but I'm pretty sure it's on some maps, though more geologically minded ones.

The dividing line for Europe / Asia in Russia is generally accepted to be the Ural mountains. West of that is called "Europe", East of the Urals is called "Asia".

[FlimFlamMan]

Originally Posted by Foo2

Why should China Mobile "cow-tow" to an innovation leader like Apple, when China Mobile can pretend to clone the iPhone or--even better--steal iPhone technology and market it as their own?

Apt.

Kowtow - "Kowtow came into English in the early 19th century to describe the bow itself, but its meaning soon shifted to describe any abject submission or groveling." -Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowtow

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

In similar ways, Europe really "doesn't exist" except politically speaking.

Wow, that must come as a surprise to a lot of kids learning basic geography around the world! (Ref. any basic textbook).

I understand there are always nuances, but there is such a thing as a commonly accepted definition.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Wow, that must come as a surprise to a lot of kids learning basic geography around the world! (Ref. any basic textbook).

I understand there are always nuances, but there is such a thing as a commonly accepted definition.

How old of a textbook would that be? As far as I know, the commonly accepted definition as you refer, has been outdated for some time now in terms of geology.

[gem]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Wow, that must come as a surprise to a lot of kids learning basic geography around the world! (Ref. any basic textbook).

I understand there are always nuances, but there is such a thing as a commonly accepted definition.

Exactly!!!! Commonly accepted is that Russia is in both Europe and Asia and that the majority of the people live in the Asia part and no one in Asia really considers iTunes entering Russia to be iTunes entering Asia! It is stupid to have defined it that way when so many Russians (104 million out of what 150 million!?) consider themselves European. It is not just state of mind its basic geography as well, as so many have stated - West of Urals = EUROPE! Therefore the statement of long absent in the asian country is incorrect as the country is simply not just asian.

[gem]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Oh, I don't know about 'stupid Americans,' but the simple fact is unless someone decides to redraw maps and redo globes and redefines continents, everything from Papua New Guinea to Israel and Mauritius to Russia is formally in the continent called 'Asia.'

Your familial state of mind may not admit it or like it, but 'Eurasia' does not formally exist on a map, it is a concept. It is like saying 'New England' or 'Balkans' or 'Middle East.'

PS Stupid americans = americans that are stupid, not all americans. I was refering to the idiot who wrote the article who was clearly ignorant about the geography of russia (though he was at least able to find it on the map to have wrongly assumed it was all asia) and simply trying to show off by sounding cool (something I often find with appleinsider)

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by JeffDM

How old of a textbook would that be? As far as I know, the commonly accepted definition as you refer, has been outdated for some time now in terms of geology.

I'll readily admit that geology is not my strong suit. But, based on the little I know, with the geological definition - assuming it is based on geological plates - the only three distinct 'continents' would be Africa, Australia, and S. America? The rest, as I understand it, would be a mish-mash (e.g., Greenland, parts of Japan, and Siberia would be part of 'N. America'; 'Eurasia' would not only include much of Russia, but also China, Iran, all the Stans, and so forth).

What textbook would you recommend for your definition?

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by gem

Exactly!!!! Commonly accepted is that Russia is in both Europe and Asia ......

Same question: What textbook would you recommend for your definition? (I am certainly willing to be persuaded - I think Asia is too big, as it is. ).

[sapporobaby]

Originally Posted by bmson

iTunes store in Russia and there's not an iTunes store in Iceland.
This makes me angry.

They have said that all of western europe and scandinavia have iTunes store but we don't have ITS in Iceland so that's not true.

I'm so pissed, we want ITS here.

Isn't Iceland Nordic and not Scandinavian?